Todd's Story
by Todd McCloud
Summary: Without the king Fox McCloud, Todd McEdek has to defend the nation of Uno. But other problems infect his life, including a broken relationship. What will happen to him?
1. Chapter 1

"_True love has no boundaries"_

Chapter One

"Sleep, Todd."

"May you sleep long."

"Forever sleep."

"Yes! Sleep!"

"Never wake up!"

"You dare close your eyes!"

"Eternal sleep!"

"Let me be your own!"

"Fall into my grasp."

"Write down the memories!"

"Use Me!"

The fox sat up as fast as a slash from a blade. His eyes, covered by circular shades, peered through the dark lenses, reaching onto anything that gave off any source of light. Suddenly, he breathed a sigh of relief. He put his hands onto his face as his shoulders sunk down to a relaxed stance.

"Almighty," he whispered. "What's happening to me?"

Re-parting his hair down the center, he pushed the bangs away from his eyes. As he raised his gaze upward, he noticed the moon, waning in a bitter dance of darkness and light, floating above him. Her light cast shadows down to the forests below – the Unonian forests, the forests all too familiar to him. He had no reason to fear the landscape, yet the fur on his tail told a different story.

"What is this curse?" he spoke again, though louder. He had no idea who he was speaking to, but an answer from anyone or anything would soothe his spirit for nights to come. "Why must I carry this burden?"

Next to his side was a bundle of cloth. His brow furrowed under the protection of his shades as he reached a hand over, but then quickly pulled it back.

"I hate you."

With a black-booted foot, he shoved the bundle aside. He wished he could destroy it – burn it in hellfire, or slash it to pieces with the impressive weapon on the opposite side of where he lay. Yet none of these options were feasible, at least not in his case. The only comfort he had was that it was covered.

"Todd?"

Looking over his shoulder, the thin vulpine male peered into the darkness. "Yes?"

"What's wrong?"

He breathed slowly out of his nose as the freezing smoke kissed the night air. "Nothing."

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't tell what's going on. What is it?"

With a jerk, he wrapped his thin black leather trench coat closer to his body. The many studded bracelets that adorned his arm clinked along with the buckles on his black boots peering from the cuffs of his pants. Coupled with his pants – loose and dark brown in color – and his sleeveless black t-shirt underneath, he was a prime example of urban poverty in Uno. "Just a bad dream." He moved over, but suddenly paused. He sighed. "And…"

"You miss Elena." A hand extended from the mooncast shadow and grasped his shoulder. "She misses you too, Todd."

"No she doesn't. She's content without me. Probably threw away that crucifix necklace I bought for her eighteenth birthday." He moved a spidery finger in the grass-laden dirt. "What do I have that she'd want anyway? What do I have to offer her?"

"Fair heart never won fair maiden."

"But losers don't stand a chance against any task."

"Loser?" The body scooted closer until it was in full view. Another fox, just as emaciated as Todd, wore a sleeveless leather trench coat, brown shirt, and black pants. Though he was blind, he managed to keep his appearance to high standards despite his long, straight black hair. "A man who's defeated droves of men in a matter of minutes? Who uses the heretic guardian staff and whips it faster than the torrential Unonian storms? A man skilled in the ancient arts of the Chaljsko? Impossible."

Todd grabbed his long staff, checking the axe-like blade and the dagger-like blade positioned at opposite ends. "What drives me to fight anymore? With Fox gone and half our nation destroyed, what can I do, Joshuo?"

As Todd swiped the staff in front of his companion, Joshuo grabbed it in mid-swing. "You fight. Because you can."

"But why? What's the use anymore? Any battle from here on out is only in vain."

"Then you fight in vain! You fight for what is good, or you succumb to evil. _You _have the choice: to be a patriot or a bastard to your own nation."

"I _am_ a patriot."

"A patriot never gives up for his people."

Clenching his teeth, Todd blinked hard. "But the longer I prolong it, the more my people die."

"Your people?" Joshuo flung the end of his staff back at him. "You're giving up on them and now they're your people?"

"I don't want them to die!"

"Then you'll fight for them!" he shouted. "You'll fight because you love them! You don't want them to be slaves to this evil!" He paused, searching the ground with his bare hands. "After all, you were a slave to evil before! You remember!"

Todd looked at the ground, turning to the bundle of cloth next to him.

Finally, Joshuo's hand met Todd's arm. "You remember. Against your own will, but you remember. And may you _never_ forget it."

"Enough!" Todd blasted. "I can't ever forget it! It's with me until I die!"

"And you want to give up on the people?" He shook Todd's arm. "Fight! Do it! Do it because they may suffer the same fate as you!"

Todd turned away. "They must never feel that kind of pain."

"Then you _will _fight for them," he hissed. "You are a slave to goodness now."

"The Almighty's words state good sets one free."

"Then may you earn your freedom."

Focusing on the ground dotted with leaves, grass and roots, Todd bit his lip, unsure how to retort his adopted brother's response. However, with a pound in the soil, he knew he was right. He sighed dejectedly.

"Don't you understand?" Joshuo barked. "You've been chosen to do remarkable things in your life. Things no one else can do, and no one else ever will do. You hold the future now."

"But Fox?"

"What about him? He's gone, isn't he?"

Todd's face hardened into a grimace. "No. He's not gone. Our king would never give up on any of us. Ever."

"Where is he now?"

Biting his lip, he was surprised at how his "brother" was reasoning with him. He was even more surprised to feel his fists tighten, like he was readying himself to strike him in the misty night. "You don't know Fox like I do, Joshuo."

"And no one knows you like I do, Todd." He paused to take off his shades. "Ever since we were nine, when your parents accepted me into your house. You are the one now, and you know it!"

"No!" Todd shouted. His tone made his adopted brother cower slightly. "I'm not like that!"

"You are!" he hissed. "And you have in your possession the one object of power you can use to destroy McRasko, the Mafia, and any other threat to Unonian freedom!"

"No! It's not like that at all, Joshuo!"

"Yes!" he screamed. "Yes. If you would only use it!"

Todd shook his head. "Never. I must never do that. To do that would be pure evil. I would never be the same again. I would become what I want to destroy!"

Immediately the blind fox crept up on all fours, sensing the ground with his hands. His broken eyes opened slightly as his eyebrows moved up and down in intense thought. "If you won't, then I will make you!" His last word was coupled with his hands grasping the cloth and its contents. "Now!"

Todd reached over and stabbed his adopted brother in the hand with his staff. As he screamed and groaned in pain, the bundle fell to the ground in a slight tumble. Todd completely ignored the cries and sprung over a pile of decomposing roots to nab the fallen package. Scanning it with his eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief as the strings tying the cloth together were still intact.

"You fool!" Todd shouted. "You don't know what this is!"

Joshuo wrung out his hand as crimson blood trickled down his arm, displaying his unusual tolerance of pain. "Neither do you! You only know what it has done to you before. But now, now that you're in control of it…"

"It is irrefutably evil!"

"Then how will you free Uno, eh?" He whipped his hand at Todd as blood spattered on his leather trench coat. "How?"

"I must never give into it."

Joshuo gritted his teeth. "Fine."

As the blind one continued to nurse his hand, Todd stood from where he sat, using his impressive staff, complete with blades so strong and so sharp they looked able to cut the very soul of a man with a single swipe. Stretching slightly, his cold face gazed up at the moon, lighting the area with a satisfactory glow.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to save Uno," Todd replied. "And… find Elena. I must find her again." He sighed. "I hope she forgives me. Heck, I hope she remembers me."

"Well, I hope you still have time for a blind man to tag along."

Todd held out a hand as the man grabbed it. He brushed himself off, then turned to Todd, who put thick shades back on the blind fox's face. "You must trust me. Fox McCloud trusted me before he even knew me, but I never gave him a reason for him not to. All I ask is that you listen to me and trust what I say is true."

Joshuo nodded. "Don't forget your… your past."

Todd blinked under his circular shades as he bent down to pick up the bundle of cloth. "I won't ever do that, because I can't." Turning to his left, he noticed a young jaku tree stretching next to where he stood amidst a sea of vegetation, vines and wooded sprawl. In an instant, he grabbed one of the branches and tore it off the trunk.

"You forgot it for months, until I finally delivered it to you in the palace."

"No," Todd said as he shook his head. "I never forgot about it. But I knew I would find it again. I also knew you'd give it back to me." Using his staff, he sliced off the outlying branches from the limb, hacking away at the cut knobs and trying to make it as smooth as possible.

"How did you know?"

He handed Joshuo the stick. "I knew because I am always reminded of it." He started walking through the grove of trees, carefully stepping around any obstacles missed by the guiding stick of his adopted brother. As they came to a low-lying branch, he displayed a more gentle nature as he lifted a branch slightly out of the way, making sure the blind fox passed with ease.

"Where are we going?" inquired Joshuo.

"To Cavask," Todd replied. "We need to unite the Chaljsko fighters. You may not like us, but we truly do protect all Unonians. Mafians tremble at the thought of one in battle, image five thousand! Imagine what we could do if we finally came together!"

"Unite the order of old," Joshuo said with a hint of awe. "The Holy Order of Chaljsko fighters? Perhaps even the Da'velu? May you do it."

"It _will _be done."

- Picture of Todd McEdek (done by Kusari): www.hostpic.biz/uploads/fbdbebd1f1.jpg


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"What's that?"

"I… I don't know. But whatever it is, it's tremendously large."

"Let me step in front. My dead eyes heighten my other senses."

Todd pushed his adopted brother ahead of him, grabbing him by the collar of his coat to help him avoid an exposed root. Though Uno was dotted with forests, he hadn't ventured from this one in days. He was sure Cavask wasn't as far away as this. Perhaps he was lost, but he knew he had found the city before using the star formations displayed around the comfort of the waning moon.

"It sounds very loud. Metallic-like."

"Where's it coming from?" Todd asked as he bent a branch backwards.

He put a hand to his lips. "There," he said as he pointed his middle finger toward a lighted clearing.

Todd scampered faster through the thicket, grabbing the blind fox and dragging him along the forest floor. Though he was originally careful not to let any obstacles befall him, his curiosity soon cast that aside. Over roots, dead limbs, and, eventually large rocks led him to the edge of the clearing. But it wasn't really a clearing – it was more of an artery, a road dug into the thick forest by travelers from long ago.

"I don't see anything," Todd informed.

Joshuo stood slowly. "Serves you right, bastard." He carefully pulled a bundle of thorns out of his right cheek. "You should treat people close to you with more respect."

"Get down!"

In an instant, Todd pushed the man to the ground, this time careful enough to plan where he was going to fall. But his attention quickly swayed to the road, as a procession looked to be coming from the far north, just over the bend of the winding avenue guarded on both sides under the care of jaku trees.

"Can you tell what it is?" Joshuo asked as he slithered to position.

"Mafians," Todd whispered. "I'm almost certain."

"Oh. Now's your chance! Take them by surprise!"

Todd looked at him with a stern frown. "I'll be killed."

"But you always gloat about how well you fought in Kardlo Field! Chaljsko heretic! Eat your own words!"

"Hush!" he whispered and shook the man's shoulder. "We may not have a chance if they hear you!"

"Then I'll scream."

"You do and I'll punch you!"

Joshuo scoffed. "Punch a blind man? How low do you -"

"Wait," Todd instructed. "If they're heading from the north, then they obviously must be marching south. Cavask is south from here, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you know as well as I do that Cavask is sore and ill-prepared."

"But we can't let the great city fall to them!" blurted Joshuo. "We just can't! I mean, it's the symbol of Unonian culture, glory, and independence! If we lose Cavask, then, then…"

"We lose the entire nation. I know." As Todd stood, he grabbed his staff and scanned it with eyes behind circular shades, making sure there were no imperfections in the artisan's tool. "That sounds like enough just cause. I may die, but at least I can live with the fact that I tried."

"Well, go get them then!"

"You're coming too, Joshuo."

"What?" he grabbed the sleeve of Todd's trench coat and tugged on it. "Let me remind you of something." He held up his hands. "I can't see these!"

"Yeah, but you know where they are. That's good enough."

"But I use them for is writing songs and making music! You know that – I've done that for years now!"

"And if you fight well, you should still have them by the end of the day. Now come on." With spidery hands, he nabbed Joshuo by the collar of his trench coat as he stepped closer to the wide dirt path, paying extra care not to make too much noise. "Here," he whispered as he watched the procession march closer. He lifted up a pant leg and exposed a sharp knife strapped to his leg. Unsheathing it, he grabbed the blind fox's hand, forced it open, and shoved the handle in his palm. "Just move it forward and jab it repeatedly."

"You _must_ be kidding me," Joshuo laughed. "What am I now? A machine you control? Will I fall under your sadistic Chaljsko spells? Impossible."

"Do as I say and you'll live."

Both men listened as the group marched directly in front of them. Though they were tucked under the watchful care of dense shrubbery populating around centuries old jaku trees, Todd could see them clearly. Chain mail on their bodies, complete with steel breastplates, glistened sharply in the sparse sunlight. Their thick boots disturbed the quiet grove of woods with rude stomps and thunderous clangs. Guns and swords were at ease, but could be used at any given instant, no doubt. Coupled with the fact that there had to be one thousand present, attacking them seemed like a death wish.

"Now what do you see?"

"All those sounds you hear… there's more than what you've estimated."

"Almighty…"

Todd turned back to the group and noticed another behind the first one. Their bodies were dirty with tattered clothing hanging loose from their skeleton-like carcasses. Thousands had to be in that group, as they dotted the horizon up to the sharp bend in the road. Despair quickly settled in, melting away any thoughts of a retreat from the black-clad men.

"There're prisoners in that group, right?"

"Yeah." Todd paused and watched with intensity. "Wait, how do you know?"

"I… I can hear one of them whispering something."

"What are they saying?"

"Something like, 'look at the two in the bushes over there.'"

"Really?"

"No. But it doesn't matter what they say."

"We have to save them."

"Earning your freedom, eh Todd?"

"Of course," he replied with a smirk. With tense knuckles, he gripped the shaft of his staff. Getting on all fours, he crept up to the edge of the forest, barely letting the vegetation keep his hiding spot a secret. He let the commanding officer go by, his boots so close he could've nicked them with the axe-like blade of his guardian staff. But, as with any Chaljsko fighter, there was a perfect time for everything. More of the higher ranking officers marched by, their stomping feet disturbing the pebbles near him slightly. _It's like Kardlo Field again,_ he thought, remembering the impressive numbers of the Careinian elite and their disturbing entrance into the Unonian interior from what seemed like years and years ago, though was probably only a few months at best.

Todd licked his teeth. _I've been going about this all wrong. The prisoners will be gunned down the moment I advance upon them due to this ambush of mine. I don't have much of a choice in this situation. I have to fake it. _The Chaljsko fighter left his weapon behind, knowing he would come back for it very soon. After all, a six foot staff is never easy to lose. He stood up and walked to the line of soldiers, holding up his hands in surrender. _It's the best I can do._

At that moment, hundreds of guns cocked and pointed directly at the intruder. Todd, his staff resting on the trunk of a thick polvenu tree, watched as the entire group seemed to focus solely on him. A crowd soon formed around him, though they began to part slightly as their leader stepped through.

"What is _this_?" the commanding officer shrieked with a sour look. "Are you lost, urbanite?"

"Perhaps there's too much smoke in his eyes," another man replied. "After all, look at how dark his glasses are!"

"Indeed," the commanding officer remarked as he stepped up to Todd, who still had his fingers pointing to the sky. "And why do you just give yourself up to us, urbanite? Do you recognize the might of the Mafia? Does this impressive display of the finest men on the continent cause you to tremble in fear?" His grin and slight chuckles began to fade. "Well? Are you too scared to talk?" With a belligerent slap, he struck Todd on the side of the cheek. The urbanite moved his head to the side, but quickly turned it back to its original position, retaining his calm stare into the eyes of the man.

"I say we make him talk!" a soldier from deep within the group shouted.

Another officer cracked his fingers as a few of them inched closer to where he stood. "If he doesn't want to talk, we can make that permanent!"

"I say we gut him!"

More men crept up to Todd. But, as he looked beyond the threatening crowd, he could see his loosely-formed plan was coming to form. The absence of guards behind the prisoners gave them more freedom, and they began to filter into the dense vegetation without making too much sound. Though it was slow and disorganized at first, their numbers soon began to decrease as the notion of escape spread throughout the lines.

"Bastard Unonian!" the commanding officer boomed with another smack. "Why don't you say anything?"

Suddenly, a rope made its way around Todd's neck. Surprised at first, Todd knew his mistake proved disastrous to him, yet even more beneficial to those whom he tried to save. The noose tightened despite his struggles to free himself, and the rope was lifted over a branch. A tug later, and his feet were off the ground.

"We'll make you talk!"

Todd's teeth gritted hard as his fingers tried to make space around the rope and his neck. He already gave up on trying to make his neck thick, as the vulpine neck was very weak and vulnerable to this kind of torture. His legs stretched and strained.

"Say something you dumb cunt stain!"

As he stared out to the crowds rapidly dispersing to safety, he began to feel like he was floating on air, as if there was no rope around his neck and he was flying in perfectly still air. It was a wonderful feeling – the sky seemed to become brighter, and the screams and angry tones seemed less apparent. But he soon snapped out of it. _Almighty! Set me free!_

Something caused him to stretch his right arm out to his staff resting on a thick polvenu tree. He didn't know why, but he believed it would come to him, and knew his staff would float into his palm if he truly believed it would. To his amazement, the staff twitched, then, with a sudden jerk, flew directly to his hand. As he caught it, he sliced the rope with a clean swipe and landed onto the ground with his feet in firm footing. Immediately he performed a front-flip, dodging a spray of bullets by blocking the hellfire with his spinning staff. Then he landed on the ground, perched like a gargoyle, and soon rose to his feet to meet a slew of Mafian fighters. His staff methodically tore through the flesh of his first victim, slashing his head clean off with one hard whack. Blocking another round of gunfire, he swung his bladed weapon round his hand, letting the swinging blades fall into the path of those near him. Then, with a hard turn, the axe-like blade atop the guardian staff split through the breastplate of at least three Mafian men, their chests spewing out blood. His blinding speed – the key to any Chaljsko fighter – was no match for the might of the soldiers.

Jumping again, Todd continued to block bullets with impressive accuracy. He landed atop of one soldier's shoulders, and watched with a slight grin as his fellow comrades tore the armored man to pieces. Another jump landed him into a conglomeration of soldiers, which became fresh corpses in a matter of seconds. But Todd didn't have to rely on his own skills to defeat the entire group. The confusion was just enough to have their own men shooting at each other, as his jumps were fast and random, making an accurate shot, let alone paying attention to those whom one was near, impossible.

"Fight like a man!" an officer bellowed. "You asinine coward!"

Todd smirked as he flung the staff directly into the man's chest, letting his body fall backwards. The staff slid back out of his chest cavity with ease. Yet his overconfidence failed him once more. In an instant he was grappled by droves of soldiers. He managed to fend off a few with his fists, but even his feeble vulpine body could not ward off so many brawny human soldiers coupled with vulpine sympathizers. He was brought down as quickly as a falling leaf from its owner to the forest floor.

"Now you listen here, Chaljsko fighter!" the Mafian commanding officer screamed. Apparently he had survived the onslaught, yet nearly half his men did not. "You're lucky I don't chop off your hands right now!" Another solider handed the man Todd's staff. "I suppose I could, as you're right here and I'm more than willing to do so. Hold still!"

Just then, a harrowing scream came from just beyond the road. Todd looked up just in time to see Joshuo, armed and frantic, running toward where he lay. His eyes then carried to the commanding officer, who sneered and casually used the staff to trip the blind man just before he could reach them. He struck the ground with a hard bound.

"When will you Unonians learn?" the man asked. "We are victorious. We have sacked Drawshk. The capital is _ours_. It's only a matter of days before we take your beloved Cavask. If only you would submit. Then we might be a little merciful to your kind."

"You've become machines to McRasko, you bastards," Joshuo barked.

The commanding officer rolled his eyes. "Maybe we _are_ machines. Who knows, after all, you can't see anything." He turned to his men. "Tie both of them up, but more so on the one who can actually see. They'll have front row seats to witness the occupation of Cavask." He chuckled. "Without our division, there would be no hope of a Mafian foothold on that city. I hope whoever you were trying to save today will thank you later." He looked as if he was going to walk away, but instead abruptly turned and stabbed Todd directly in the side with his staff. The black-clad vulpine's scream was as bloody as the fresh battlefield in the grove of trees. "That's so you can't run from us!"

Todd groaned in pain. He closed his eyes as the man kicked him in the side a few times, and then spat on his face. Yet he refused to speak, as his silence seemed to irk the commanding officer.

"Todd," Joshuo asked, "you there? Can you hear me?"

He waited until the Mafian man was far from earshot. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. What's happening?"

Todd lifted his head with a cringe. He gasped as soon as his eyes caught the sight of his stomach. Bleeding profusely, his lower chest had an impressive gash just to the side. His sleeveless black shirt underneath his thin black leather trench coat was stained in the crimson fluid. As he brought a hand to the wound, he immediately pulled it back as the sting, coupled with the sight of his hand drenched in his own blood, nearly made him vomit.

"Todd?"

A huff of air escaped his throat. "I'm… okay."

"What's happening?"

With deliberate movements, he took a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and stuffed it inside the cavity of the gash. Though the pain was almost unbearable, it was a temporary solution to the major problem. "I think they're looking for the survivors," he said with teeth gritted.

"You don't sound very well."

"Oh! Shut up!" He reached over and punched Joshuo in the side.

"You know who you are!" the blind man barked as he gripped his side. "You saw what you did a few minutes ago!"

"What are you talking about?" Todd asked with heaving breaths.

"Educated fox my tail – you really are an idiot. You left your staff propped up on that tree over there, didn't you? Then how did you get down when they strung you up?" He paused. "Heretic Chaljsko magic?"

"No!" the black-clad fox groaned. "I don't know!"

Joshuo scoffed. "You know. Well, why don't you try it here, eh?"

With jerky hands, Todd removed the cloth from his side as a burst of blood trickled down his side and chest. They seemed to channel down to his ribs, which acted as a small barrier to guide the blood down his bony body and to the ground.

"Eh?"

Grabbing his adopted brother's hand, he yanked it and put it on the wound, letting it hit with a wet slap.

"Almighty," Joshuo trembled. "Hey! This guy's dying over here! Get over here now! He's bleeding to death!"

Soon a collection of soldiers, including the sentries standing by the two making sure no escape was possible, formed a circle around them. They looked on, but did nothing.

"Don't touch him!" the commanding officer bellowed as he pushed himself into the crowd. "Not until he speaks!"

"General McPavo, sir, the orders were to keep all Chaljsko fighters alive and bring them straight to McRasko."

The general scratched his vulpine chin. "This man is driving me insane. But if I disobey orders, it could be _my_ bloody body at the Emperor's feet." Pausing once again, he finally stepped up to the man. "I'm not done with you. I'll keep you until Cavask, then send you off. But I'll be sure to get my pleasures of seeing you in pain first!"

Todd let his head rock back onto the hard soil. He could feel Joshuo's fingers moving around his wound, but he was too tired to really stop him.

"Clean him up. We have to move by sundown."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Todd stumbled down the dirt path, prodded by his own staff in the cool Unonian morning. Storm clouds looked to be in the distance, but whether or not they would hit the procession or the forests behind them was a different story. He had no idea how long he had been walking, only that he was chained and hadn't had sufficient food or sleep in days.

"I admit I've overlooked my own abilities," he confessed to his adopted brother.

"Just be grateful no one's died yet. Especially you."

A prisoner, a thin shell of a vulpine male, walked next to Todd. "You tried your best, sir. We've been devoid of hope for a week or so anyway."

"Never give up." Ignoring the sharp sounds of his chains, Todd moved his hand to check his side. Bandaged tightly, the wound was most likely closed now, though it was still painful to the touch. But, as he felt around, his movements suddenly became sporadic. "My… my… it's gone!"

"I have it," Joshuo assured. "It's safe in the large pocket of my trench coat." He paused. "Idiot."

"What?"

"You could've taken all of them, you know?"

"Well, they won't be as lucky next time."

"What are you waiting for?" he whispered. "You know Elena lives in Cavask. I'm sure she'd love to see you in chains."

He blinked hard as he turned away. "Don't remind me."

"Then do something about it."

Todd glanced over his shoulder, noticing the sentry behind him. He met his eyes once, then continued to face forward in a cold yet stern manner. All around him were guards – some with guns resting firmly in their hands, ready to be fired off within a heartbeat's notice. Coupled with the fact that he was chained, the situation looked hopeless.

"I have another plan," Todd whispered.

Joshuo nodded. "I see… kind of. But if you're wrong about this -"

"Yeah, I know. I won't fail this time – it'll work out just right." He paused to look over his shoulder once more. "Just count with me, okay?"

"Wait, what are we doing right now?"

"Three!"

In an instant, Todd ducked under the watchful eye of the sentinel, turned around, and used the chain that held his wrists together to catch the lip of the axe-like blade and slip it out of the guard's hands with a swift, fluid jerk. In only a few seconds, the staff was his.

"Get him!"

The entire armed unit quickly moved in, dispatching in and around where he stood. Yet they could not touch him. His reflexes and rapid attacks were too fast for theirs, and their numbers began to deplete. First came a literal dismemberment of the man who kept him in line during the march, then a careful decapitation of Joshuo's keeper. Next came a series of dodges, making him look more like a dancing spirit in the wind than an actual killer.

"Todd! Be careful!"

The fleetness of his blade was faster than the rushing current of the mighty Ca'ar River over the Ta'lavero Mountains in springtime. His movements were as fluid as a paintbrush on canvas, painting a picture of blood and cunning murders of the opposition. As his staff cut through the top of a human's head, he pushed the axe-like blade of the guardian staff into the dirt and leapt, using its position as a springboard to launch him across a large distance directly in the path of more armed men. Their lives were dashed short about as fast as the urbanite's breath escaping from a cold nose.

Frustrated, he used the blades of his staff to slice the wrist chain in half. Then, with the edges still covered in fresh blood, he sliced the neck of another assailant and brought the staff down to cut another man down the middle, breaking through the metal breastplate like a knife through undercooked meat. Yet despite all this, his eyes carried to the prisoners, who looked to be safe but very nervous. Breathing a sigh of relief, he jumped into another contest and continued to slice away.

"Get the hell off me!"

Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Joshuo being mugged by three brutes. They beat him relentlessly and tried to strip off his trench coat. His shades, already ripped off, looked to be broken on the ground. But the Chaljsko fighter's attention was swayed once again to the heat of the battle, where more resistance awaited his attacks.

"Todd! Catch!"

The urbanite, now displaying his annoyance with a young furrowed brow, turned once again to his adopted brother. This time, however, he sprinted toward him, but not before kicking a soldier in the chest, sending him backwards on a collection of his own men. The bundle of cloth, his burden to carry for the rest of his life, lay motionless on the ground between him and Joshuo. Scampering over to the location as fast as he could, Todd ran up the slight hill and dove for the curse, stretching his hand out as far as he could.

He never reached it.

"I think _that _will be enough!" General McPavo, an all-too-familiar face, blasted. He overemphasized the word that came just after his booted foot stepped on the outstretched hand of the urbanite. Pressing harder, he laughed. "You're good, but not good enough. You're terribly flawed." Suddenly, his attention turned to the bundle of cloth on the ground. "What's this?"

"No!" Todd groaned. "Don't touch it! It's evil!"

"Evil? Well, we'll see about that."

His gloved hands reached for the cloth, picking it up like a thief snatching it from a dying man. Undoing the twine that tied the rag together, he pushed away the old cloth.

"What the hell?"

"Don't!"

With a look of confusion, the general held the object higher, so others could see what it was. Crowds of guards, even civilian prisoners, gathered around to view it. In his hands was a mask, molded in the shape of the front of a vulpine male's face. It was featureless, except for a nose painted of dark obsidian and two large, blank eyeholes, which no light shone through, though completely open. No apparent breathing holes were drilled into it either. Made of a polished white marble, it looked cold, as condensation immediately formed on it.

"Ack!" General McPavo sputtered. He dropped the mask onto the dirt below.

"Just leave it there!" Todd shrieked. "You don't understand its power!"

"Power?" the general said with a grin. "What sort of power?"

"Nothing! Just let it be! No one pick it up!"

The general paused as a team of guards pulled Todd back despite his squirms and twists. "I don't get it. How does one breathe through this?"

"They don't! They become dead with it on!"

"Dead?"

"The mask takes over the host's body! Leave it be!"

Looking back at Todd, then the mask, then back at him once more, he drew a hand to his muzzle. "Then what does a Chaljsko fighter, a fighter for the Almighty, want with this mask?"

"Only the last wearer can destroy it!"

"So you're the last wearer?"

"Yes! Give it to me!"

"And what happens if another person were to wear this?"

"Their face melts off and their soul is sucked into its emptiness!"

"But if you were to wear it?"

"I'll never do that!"

"Answer me!"

Todd paused as he caught his breath. "If I wear it, I become evil. Its power and sheer darkness would cause the evil within it to use me as vehicle of its own will. There is a desire to wear it for the power, but my closeness to the Almighty and maturity in the Chaljsko prevents that for me."

"But you yourself remain intact with it on?"

"My soul cannot be harmed, for it is protected by the Almighty. My body cannot perish either, because I am the last wearer." Todd paused as he stretched his hands out once more. "Please, just please, give it back to me. You can beat me, chop off my hands, just please give it back to me. I beg you."

Once more the general paused, scanning the area and looking into the eyes of Todd. Finally, he picked up the mask and looked at it, exploring the features, or lack thereof. He stuck a finger through an eyehole and was surprised to see it didn't pass through, like it had become invisible. "You want it?"

"Yes, please give it to me. You don't know of its power!"

The general nodded. "He speaks the truth – Chaljsko fighters rarely lie, even to their own enemies." He motioned to his guards. "Tie him down. I want to see this in action."

"No!" Todd screamed. "No! You don't understand! You don't understand!"

Most of the prisoners backed away, watching as the soldiers used the links cut from Todd's wrist chain to hold his arms outstretched. Another man held his feet together.

"Please!" Todd begged. "Please!"

_May you sleep, Todd McEdek._

_Die within our grasp._

_Never to wake again!_

Todd thrashed his head about. "Never! Please!"

"Shut up!" the general boomed as a sentry knocked off his shades. "Hold his head still!"

_You will return to us, Todd._

_You dare resist? You are powerless and lost!_

_Feeble in this world of hatred and anger!_

At that moment, the mask was placed on his face. All his pleas and screams stopped, but his body began to contort and twist, like he was fighting a battle within his inner self. His movements were sporadic and strong enough to break the holds of the soldiers, as his back arched backwards and his hands shook in unnatural fits.

"Sir, we have to get out of here!"

General McPavo pushed the Mafian soldier aside. "He hasn't done anything yet!"

With the last syllable escaping his breath, the masked man stared directly into the eyes of the decorated man. In an instant, the general's face began to melt as his head split down the middle. A slight high-pitched scream coming from bubbling flesh was all he could utter before it exploded, sending bits and pieces flying in all directions.

Screams and pandemonium littered the air. Soldiers and prisoners alike scattered away from the area in sheer panic. As Todd slowly stood from where he lay, he looked at his staff as it came to him. Then, with jerky movements, he ran after two slow prisoners.

"No! Please stop!"

His staff met the back of the first vixen, protruding outward through her breast. As he swung the staff to the left, it escaped her body and nailed the other kneeling vixen in the neck, taking her head off with one clean swipe. A quick flick of a hand caused the grounds nearby to crack and protrude in jagged peaks.

"Todd!"

Turning to Joshuo, the slave readied his staff and sprinted toward him.

"You have the power!"

Thick storm clouds gathered quickly over the grassy field. While no rain came from them, lighting and the thick sound of thunder reverberated across the landscape. The look of absolute dead seeped in, like the colors of a painting running to the floor. As the sky darkened, the landscape began to alter to form more suiting scenery. Grim trees, once healthy and colorful, quickly withered and donned dead trunks of grey and black. The grass seemed to reverse its growth and recede back into the soil it once resided, leaving behind an inhospitable floor. Winds whipped around, howling and shrieking as terror settled across the land.

"What the hell is happening?" a soldier cried as the masses fled farther away.

"It's me, Joshuo!" Joshuo screamed as he ducked from an impressive swing. "Don't give in – you're still there!" He rolled out of the way to avoid another jerky slash. "Fight it!" As he jumped out of the way of another attack, Todd slashed open the chest of another civilian, his brittle ribs cracking under the momentum of the blade.

"Wake up! See with your own eyes!"

Though Joshuo managed to evade the relentless attacks, his luck soon ran out. A rapid slash cut through his chest, letting fresh blood leak from his pectorals to his abdomen.

"Todd," Joshuo cringed as he fell to the floor, "don't kill me! Set yourself free! Set yourself free!"

Flinging the staff at the blind man, Todd watched him dodge the throw. However, his relentless pursuit propelled him forward with very jerky movements, like his own spirit was resisting. Pouncing on Joshuo, he began to claw at his flesh like the talons of a vulture on fresh meat.

"Todd! Stop! Set yourself free!" Joshuo moved his hands about, but soon the harsh slashing made his own words unintelligible and mutilated from a bloody façade. Lighting tore through the thick layers of darkness, producing purple flames and orange sparks.

Suddenly, the clawing stopped. Joshuo spat blood on the marbled face as he faced the blank expression. "Almighty, no. Todd, if you can still hear me, listen!" he put his hands forward until he touched the cold mask. "Think of Uno! Think of Elena! Think of the millions of innocent lives you promised to protect!" Jerking again, Joshuo cringed, then continued to speak. "Give it one last try! For Elena! For us all! Set yourself free!"

With deliberate movements, Todd moved his hands up to the artificial face. Then, once his hands met Joshuo's, he began to pry at it, trying to remove the mask and the curse from his body.

"Help!" Joshuo screamed as hard as he could. "He's trying to free himself! He needs help!"

From the hillside came a collection of Mafian soldiers who, without stopping or even attempting to avoid the perils of the hellish landscape, tackled the emaciated urbanite with impressive force. His body slammed against the barren soil with a hard lick as the group reached for his face, using much force to try and pry it off. Yet, even with Todd's own help, it refused to budge.

"How the heck does this come off?" a guard yelled.

They turned Todd over on his back and continued to tug, watching as his head bounced up and down on the hard ground.

"Set him down!" Joshuo cried.

"No!" another armored Mafian soldier replied. "We can't risk that! It's either that or kill him!"

"You cannot kill the undead! But trust me and if I'm wrong you can kill me!"

The men dropped him. As they backed away, Todd slowly brought his right hand to his forehead. Then, with increased resistance, yanked it to press down on the spot where his rib cage branched off.

"What's he doing?"

"I can't see, but I can feel it. He's setting himself free."

Moving his hand over the left shoulder, he pressed harder on the spot and tried to place it on his right shoulder. His hand and entire body trembled and contorted violently, though each jittery twitch brought the finger closer to its final destination. Though it was very deliberate and time seemed to slow, his right hand finally met that of his right shoulder, completing the sign of the cross. At the moment of its completion, his body went limp.

"Is he dead?" a prisoner, who crept closer to his body, asked.

"No!" Joshuo screamed. "He can't be dead! He has to be alive. His soul must be very tired from fighting the battle, so give him time!"

"How do you know all of this?" a Mafian asked as he turned to the blind man. "Did you ever wear it?"

"No," Joshuo said as he shook his head, "but I've been with him since he was nine. I remember, and he tells me these things."

"How did it happen before?"

"The Kicktachs, an ancient Careinian sect, once held control over it. Since they've been wiped out, however, it cannot be controlled." He scoffed. "It's taken me long to accept it, because of the immense power it has." Wiping his hand over his face, he removed more blood seeping from every inch of it. "It seems in the process I've donned a mask of my own. A very bloody one indeed. But not mechanized. I hate that."

Slowly Todd's hands reached up to his face and pulled the mask off. Almost immediately the cold scenery returned to normal, though most trees appeared to be bent or broken, and the dark thunder clouds dissipated to nothing. The urban fox's breathing was very raspy, and he was very fatigued, to the point where he could barely sit up to view the crowds both near and far from where he lay. Propping himself up with one jittery hand, he felt around his real face dumbly and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Todd?" Joshuo asked. "Is that you?"

Peeking from the gaps his fingers made, he nodded. "Yes, it's me," the urbanite said with a raspy tone. He looked at the mask, first with a devious grin, then, after he shook his head, with a cold glare. "Bring it to me," he commanded.

A Unonian peasant vixen, complete with her typical dress of red, white, and black, timidly stepped up to Todd and carefully handed him the mask, along with the cloth and string that left it dormant for so long.

He smiled. "Thank you. A vixen's heart is truly pure." As he bowed his head and began to quickly cover it, he sighed.

Joshuo turned towards a Mafian sentinel. "Your commanding officer spoke of an assault on Cavask, did he not?"

The man hesitated, then let his eyes wander over to Todd, who carefully covered the mask with worn out cloth. "Yes. Only one more division though. I swear that is the truth."

"We must go to Cavask," Joshuo chimed in as a more sentries turned to him. "If you do not submit to us, then I will force him to use the mask again, and he will kill you and all of your men!"

"That's a sight we don't want to see ever again," a Mafian replied, looking at the Unonian scenery, which appeared to have reverted to its former beauty. "We will do as you say, just don't… you know… make him like that again."

"Good man," Joshuo replied as he extended his hand out to the man's shoulder, almost like he knew he was kneeling. "You will fight against any intrusions entering the city and obliterate any Mafian forces that dispel the area."

"Yes sir," the man replied meekly.

Todd, who heard the entire conversation from a distance, set the bundle of cloth beside himself. As he looked up, he spotted his shades nearby, picked them up, and then set them back on his face. However, true relaxation did not ensue.

"Almighty, no," he spoke as his ears bent backward. "What have I done? What have I done?"

Using his staff to prop himself up, he weakly walked over to where the two vixens lay, gazing at their fatal stabbings with humility seeping from his wounds. His knees hit the grassy ground with a bound as his hands touched the warm blood of one of the corpses. "What have I done? Almighty! I am not worthy to be your servant! I am a slave to evil!"

"Nonsense," Joshuo said as he set a hand on his shoulder. "You are the destroyer of evil!"

Todd shook his head. "The power still resides in it."

"But you have overcome it! All that power and your soul overcame it! Surely you are close to the Almighty, for if you weren't, you would be truly enslaved!"

"But what does it matter? I am the killer of good too. If anything, I deserve the enslavement."

"You told me you were a patriot. That doesn't mean perfection."

"I kill my own people!" Todd shouted. "How is that patriotic?"

Joshuo punched him on the shoulder. "People die! That's a shame, but you must move on! Furthermore, it wasn't really you doing it – it was the mask, right?"

Todd paused. "I don't know," he said sternly, "but a part of me doesn't want to know for sure."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Beautiful rose for a beautiful vixen?"

She smiled as she moved a loch of her hair from her face. "Why thank you, kind sir," she replied. Flicking her tail, she watched as a woman and two children crossed her path, each carrying baskets full of food. Shouts and cries from across the street speckled the morning air mixed with the typical buzz of a busy marketplace in Cavask, the Ilevesk'ra Marketplace, as consumers brushed against each other in haste while haggling the tenants and looking for the best deal, as a fair bargain could mean the difference between a meal and an empty stomach.

"What is your name?"

"What?" she asked as a portly human volleyed prices across her ears.

"What is your name?" the lean vulpine tenant shouted, though not too loud as to drive her away.

"Elena!" she shouted. Fixing the black and white handkerchief that held her hair in place, she grabbed her wicker basket and counted what she had bought, making sure everything was still there. "I want to buy a loaf of bread!"

"Elena," the man replied as he fixed his black vest with elegant lace. He leaned close to her, over the counter filled with many types of devices and tools for sale. "I've noticed you over the past few days. You have no ring on your left hand. Either you are a very uncaring widow or are still unwed."

Her face darkened. "I'm not married. But I will give you one veskono for two loaves of bread."

"Fair enough, my lady."

"Not that one," she said as another vixen bumped into her. "That one, over there. The one with the three slits."

"Of course, Unonian flower."

"Don't call me that!" Yanking the bread from his hands, she pushed the cash towards him. As she placed the bread in the basket, she again checked to make sure everything was accounted for.

"All I ask from you is one night," he began. "Just one. I'll take you to a great restaurant farther into the city – I'll even buy you a dress for the occasion!"

"No thank you," she replied with a hint of anger. "Good day, sir." As she stepped away from the storefront, she was careful not to let her red, white, and black dress rub against the dirty side of the shop or the aging black bricked avenue, as a bundle of clothes already awaited her at home. Dodging a crowd of browsers, the red-furred vixen ducked out of the way of a young man carrying a large wooden post and stepped aside from a moving vendor's cart full of fruit from all corners of the Unonian nation.

"You'll never survive!" shouted the tenant from before. "Just accept it – you'll never find the right one! No one ever does!"

Growing rage infected her visage as she pushed her way through the crowds, politely at first, then adopting a more uncaring form of walking, even causing some to turn around and watch as she fought her way through the large avenue.

"Hey, look out!"

"Be careful, you nearly caused my child to fall!"

"Where is your form of grace?"

Ignoring the shouts, though inside she knew their words hurt, she scowled as she fled into a nearby alleyway. Venturing from street to street, she finally stepped up to her little home, which stood directly between two larger dwellings, almost as if they were trying to squeeze hers into oblivion. Though it was small, she managed to keep it in good shape, making sure the jaku wood on the front was well-washed and clean as well as the white brick overlays that made up most of the wall, on top of taking care of the plantings in the one foot backdrop that separated her home from the street.

She fumbled with her keys as she pushed her basket against the door. "Oh, what do they know anyway," she grumbled as she stuck the key through the hole in the door. Forcing herself in, she set the wicker basket on the small table hugging the large front window lined in lead. Then, after breathing a frustrated breath, she picked up her laundry basket with a slight grunt. With a quick rundown, she inspected her front room – the kitchen – making sure nothing looked too out of place, and making sure she hadn't dropped any clothes while picking up the basket. Seconds later and she was out the door, venturing across the street where vixens gathered to do laundry.

As she stepped up to a clearing in the vast city, she passed over a stone archway and meekly set her basket on the ground. Already there were tales and conversations carrying over the group, as the news and gossip were as thick as fog.

"Did you hear what they've spotted just outside of Cavask?" one muttered as the group quieted down. "Mafians!"

"Mafians?"  
"To Cavask? Impossible!"

Another leaned into the nearest one's ear. "Lisa's telling stories again. What was it last time? Careinians in the capital? Or was it Kiva McFelfe using too much holy water to dowse her kit that she supposedly gave birth to?"

"I never said that!"

Everyone laughed. Elena brought her washboard to the large tub in the center of the barren lot. Setting her basket next to the water, she took out her first garment and began scrubbing the cloth in soapy water.

"I'm serious!" Lisa shouted among the laughter. Water sprayed in her direction, but she returned the fire. "I heard it from my husband just yesterday! He said he heard it from his barber, and he fought in Kardlo Field!"

Another rolled her eyes. "Everyone always speaks of the bravery of the men at Kardlo Field, how they stopped the Careinians and Mafians, but they always forget to mention it was us, the vixens, that made sure there were clothes on their backs and food in their stomachs!"

"Indeed!" another shouted. Conversations erupted once more, carrying across the lot as frequent as the water running off their thin arms and clothes. Soon, however, the various and often random comments slowed, and the general discussion was allowed to continue.

"Elena, you almost married someone who fought alongside Fox McCloud at Kardlo Field, didn't you?"

"_The _Fox McCloud?"

"The king! Where is our king anyway?"

"Tell us, Elena!"

Elena focused on her wiry hands scrubbing a dress. "I did."

"Well, what happened?"

She sighed as she set the dress on a wire, putting the clothespins between her teeth.

"Elena?"

She dropped a clothespin. "He left me." Shaking her head, she picked up the wooden pin and set it between her dress and the wire, letting it hang to dry. "He's a horrible man. I hope he died that day and the birds picked the fur off his face."

Everyone stopped working and looked at each other. "Sounds like somebody is in a rotten mood," Lisa muttered. She lifted her eyebrows as she continued to scrub.

"Has he ever returned to you?"

She rolled her eyes as she picked another garment out of her basket. "I don't care to know if he did or didn't."

The vixen next to her, who looked to be the oldest judging by her fair white hair, turned to her. "Elena, how old are you?"

She sighed. "I'm twenty years old."

"And do you plan to ever find a husband? Or are you just going to continue on flirting with the tenants at the marketplace, getting bargains to the left and right while we have families to support?"

Everyone showed their displeasure, hurling agreements and support to the eldest. Elena meekly moved her shoulders upward, focusing only on scrubbing.

"When is the last time you've actually spent an evening with a man? Or allowed one to court you, for that matter?"

She paused. "I have."

"Oh yeah, who?"

Elena turned to her, not uttering a word. She instead stared into the old face of the woman next to her, her thinning hair and wrinkled ears, coupled with her tattered dress and shoes covered in black dirt. With a dejected sigh, the young vixen returned to her work.

"You know," Lisa spoke with her typical squeaky voice, "I could understand if no one _wanted_ to marry her, but she must get offers on a weekly basis! And you're right, Ikrisia, she does use it to her advantage." She paused. "I have two young kits! And she doesn't even have a husband to feed!"

"And how do you think she earns her money?" another spoke.

Everyone nodded their heads, adding to the agreement of the group.

"I'm a proud worker!" Elena cried. "I work very hard for what I have!"

"Sure you do," someone muttered.

Ikrisia dropped her washboard in the tub, letting it strike the wood and metal with a loud thud. "That tears it! I've been a mother to eight children and lost three to the war! My entire life has been full of hardship and difficulty, and all you have to do is sashay around the avenue, bat your eyelashes, and poof! Whatever you want is given to you, while I have to beg, plead, and suffer for the little I have and the little I can buy to support my family. You want to speak of pride? Young vixen, you have no room to talk!"

"Indeed!" another spoke.

"You just don't understand!" Elena hollered as she moved to the wire. "I don't do that! Do you think after my heart was broken I'd be loose around tenants of all people?"

"Well, Elena," the old vixen replied, "my heart was broken when my three sons died. But I still kept going, the way all true Unonians do. That isn't an excuse!"

"Everyone else here is married, why don't you just go?" Lisa remarked.

"Yes!" Ikrisia agreed. "These facilities are for married women only!"

Elena let her arms go limp. "But… but this is open to all! All vixens can come here and wash their clothes!"

"Not anymore. You're not welcome here. Just bat your eyelashes and have someone else do it for you."

Everyone laughed.

The humiliation was horrible. Never before had she been put under the heat of the spotlight, and the whole ordeal made her sick to her stomach. She felt angry, but she knew her anger would only entice them further. "May I at least leave my clothes here to dry?"

Ikrisia turned around with a jerk and tore her garments down with rapid yanks. "Married women with higher morals only! Get out!" She shoved the wet clothes toward Elena, who nabbed them from her grasp.

Picking up her basket, she fought back tears as she set the wet clothes on top of the dirty ones and quickly headed for the exit. She immediately remembered she forgot her washboard in the tub, but she refused to go back and face further embarrassment. Instead, she chose to leave it behind and walk away at a fast pace, listening to the whispers and laughter emitting from the group of women behind her. Her pace quickly sped to a sprint, and she stepped up the small steps to her home and burst through the door. Throwing her basket of clothes on the floor, she immediately burst into tears as she plopped down on a wooden chair.

"What happened?" she sobbed. "Why does everything bad always happen to me? How am I going to wash my clothes now?" Suddenly, she threw her basket of food to the floor. "I hate this place! It's _never_ been home anyway!" Kicking the basket, she bumped the table that faced the large window, causing another basket – her sewing basket – to topple to the floor. From it fell a small crucifix, held with care around a soft cloth.

She dried her tears with her arms, but they continued to fall. "And why did Todd have to leave? I loved him, and he tore my heart to pieces." She paused. "Everyone else has found someone, but I know better. I know better than to put my trust in a backstabbing, lying bastard now!" Holding her face in her hands, she sobbed harder, moving her shoulders up and down as her tail went limp against a leg of the chair. "Then why do I miss him so?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Stationed on the north sector of Cavask, Todd and the recently converted Mafian soldiers awaited the arrival of another Mafian group in the precise location where the Mafian defectors said they would be. Amidst the old street corners of the northern districts, they, along with volunteers, hid in the shadows of the old buildings, houses, and shops. Even the marketplace, where any given day thousands would crowd into the streets and alleyways looking for produce and anything else to buy, was dark and marred with determined men and women.

"Say something to them," Joshuo, who covered his scabbing face in a scarf, spoke.

Todd shook his head. "I wouldn't know what to say. I'm not Fox McCloud."

"You're Todd McEdek, their protector. You're Todd McEdek the patriot." He shook his arm. "And right now you are the leader! So say something! Show them you are not a part of the person you were with the mask!"

Todd stood. "Alright." As he walked out into the wide streets of the Ilevesk'ra Marketplace, he gazed around at the surroundings, noticing the aging shops and houses stretching out in all directions across the horizon. For such a quiet morning, it was a truly humbling sight. And in the far distance stood the largest building in about a half mile radius – the Cathedral of St. Vinsent de Cavask, standing like a beacon to the morning sunshine for centuries. Todd smiled. For some reason, the light that struck the stained glass seemed brighter than ever before. Sighing, he was certain the horrors from days ago were finally behind him.

"I have lived in Cavask for nearly my entire life. I know what it means to call myself an urbanite, but I also know what it means to call myself a Cavaskite. To be Unonian, our true identity. It is both a blessing and a curse. We all understand the blessings, as from the days of the first visions and the first baptisms across this great metropolis nearly sixteen centuries ago marked the beginning of what was to become the most blessed nation across the eleven seas. Despite the hardships, we've never turned away, and that's what it means to be Unonian – compassion and will. To the rest of this continent, however, to be Unonian is a curse, a noticeable plague that infects all within the vulpine fur and leads those who are not Unonian to cast us off, beat us, oppress us, tear us, destroy us, and annihilate us. Our Mafian brothers desire to do the same thing, but we will never let them. They, too, shall pass, as other oppressors and evils have too." Todd paused as some men and women came out of hiding. He recognized some from the prison march from only a few days ago, yet others, who looked just as willowy as they did, stood next to them, armed with knives, wooden staffs, or their bare fists. "Today is one of those days. Today, evil threatens this great city of the Almighty, and we've been entrusted to its safety. We will never fail! As our ancestors of the past have before us, we will overcome and destroy them! For we are the Unonians, and we are the urbanites. And the hour has come to defend that right! The Almighty fights along us, for in the texts of St. Thomasso, it is written that no man who fights for what is right and true will ever be put to shame by the Almighty! You are blessed! You are Unonian!" Noticing his fist pumping the open air, Todd slowly brought his arm down. "If nothing else, it is in our very blood to defeat evil. For that is who we are." Suddenly, from behind in the distance came the sounds of marching metal. Mafians, dressed for battle, seemed only blocks away. "When death stares you in the face, laugh! When evil rears its face, fight it with faith! You are powerful not because of who you are, not because you are Unonian, but because you are aligned with the Almighty! Who dares encroach? Who dares march on the bricked pathways of our culture?"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the cool morning air. Todd turned around to view the might of a Mafian division, pouring through the alleyways and street corners like a metallic wave of molasses. Their hard footsteps shook the corridor as their men filed under close formations. As soon as no less than ten feet separated them, the marching masses ceased.

"You dare march on our lives?" Todd said as he pushed up his circular shades. "You dare threaten my people? You dare jeopardize our culture?" Todd stepped up to the first Mafian. "You _dare_ cause dissention, hatred, and resentment within the vulpine race? Answer me!"

The high-ranking general scoffed. "Surely you don't think you can stop us, filthy urbanite!"

"Get the hell out of our city! Unless you're willing to love the rest of my brothers and sisters, you're not welcome here!"

With his last words, Todd took his guardian staff and drilled the man directly in the center of the head, then quickly unsheathed it from the center of his skull. In that instant, both sides erupted in an all-out brawl. Mafians tore through the long, wide avenue of the marketplace with ease, save the spot where Todd provided resistance. Yet that was exactly what the citizens in that section of Cavask wanted. From the rooftops they rained down gunfire, chairs, wood set ablaze, and homemade bombs. Even frying pans were thrown at the soldiers below.

Todd dodged a burning cabinet and watched as it struck an armored man in the chest, collapsing his breastplate on the pavement with ease. Then, with a swipe from his staff, he literally brought a Mafian to his knees by taking out his legs beneath him. The soldier next to him shot at the Chaljsko fighter's side, but he managed to block the gunfire and slice off his hand with a rapid strike. As his bony elbows moved his staff across the wave of troops, he moved himself deeper into the contest, knowing those behind him would most likely be taken out by a citizen or a Mafian defector. Jumping into the morning air, he landed on the shoulders of another combatant and quickly snapped his neck before the man had a chance to witness the black-clad vulpine on him.

"Die, bastards!" Todd shouted as another fell victim to his weapon. Kicking a soldier square in the chest, his rapid reflexes permitted him to take on groups of men at a time, crashing into loose formations like a whirling dervish. Whipping around his staff once more, he held his position for only a second, then smashed into the lines with his staff swinging and flipping in the bloody air. Twirling, he spun like a top as his constant swing sent droves of men flying, their limbs doing the same.

As he jumped, he could feel the gash in his abdomen begin to resurface, as days without decent food, sleep, or shelter slowly overtaxed his body. Though blood began to soak the bandages, he tried to ignore it. Then, as pain overwhelmed him after slicing apart the back of another enemy, he stabbed himself in the general area, hoping the pain from the new wound would divert the attention from one more profound one. "Like the Unonian winds may your judgment be swift!" he shouted, mocking the pain in his side and the Mafian cause with his words. Another soldier's chest burst as Todd chopped the staff into the man's body.

Looking around him, he saw that the men and women of Cavask had also been successful, as their obstacles and unique way of fighting seemed to send the battle into their own hands. Even as Todd ripped apart a Mafian officer, he was surprised to bump into a man in civilian attire, knifing another soldier constantly with what appeared to be a spoon. As he nodded, Todd realized he was scooping the soldier's eyes out, much to the soldier's dismay. Next to him was a young vixen, stained by the dirt of the city, bashing a pot over a Mafian's back.

"Let them bite their own tongues!" the Chaljsko fighter screamed as the brawl resided strongly in the Unonian court. The Mafian crowd appeared stunned and looked to be receding back from the streets they came from, but even so, they were chased down by furious civilians and veteran fighters left from contests years ago.

Slashing the chest of another Mafian officer, Todd immediately jerked his weapon around and stabbed the nearest man. But, as the dying fox's arms tensed and his body fell to the floor, Todd was horrified to see it was another civilian, an innocent Unonian, murdered by the blades of his staff. Kneeling at his side, he heard the weak breaths coming from his muzzle and the incoherent noises emitting deep within his chest. He stabbed him. Again. Then once more in the neck. Shocked, the Chaljsko fighter lowered his weapon and stood, breathing very rapidly. _What is happening to me?_ he thought as he watched the man bleed and the fighting around him continue. _Am I becoming evil? Am I becoming what I must destroy?_

Immediately waves of pain struck his side. Leaning against a building for support, Todd held the sore abdomen. As he winced in pain, he noticed his arm was bloody too, probably from a sword's slash he didn't notice while in battle. Yet, despite his pains and what occurred only seconds ago, he smiled. _I don't think even Fox McCloud can boast of a victory like this one._ As he turned around, he noticed a Mafian soldier creeping up on him. Once his eyes met his, he started to run in the opposite direction, but not too far, as Todd used his staff like a pike and nailed the man square in the back of the neck. He wearily walked up to him, as the battle seemed to be dying down, and yanked the weapon from the flesh. Suddenly, he fell to the ground.

_I don't feel right,_ he thought as he gripped his side. Using his staff for support, he crawled over to the steps of a small entrance in a group of houses and rested. His head hit the hard jaku wooden door with a thud.

"I've saved your city," Todd said to the open air. "But I've killed another one of your people. Now what's next?"

The door opened behind him, and he fell backwards. As he looked up, he noticed a familiar face, a face he thought he'd never see again.

"What the heck is… Todd? Get off my property!"

He smiled. "I would, Elena, but I'm kind of dying right now."

Moving her large, brown eyes over his body, her eyes shot wide open as she put a hand to her muzzle. "Almighty! You're bleeding!"

"Yeah," he replied.

Kneeling at his side, she moved her black dress away from where he lay and began to pull him in the house. Todd scooted backward, hoping to speed up the process, while at the same time making the work less for her.

"What's going on out there?"

"What?" Todd breathed. "Where have you been in the past few hours? The Mafia's advanced on Cavask, but they've all but lost."

"That's a relief," she replied. "But look at you! You're a mess!"

"They're only flesh wounds."

In an instant, she slipped off his trench coat and tore apart his t-shirt with a knife hastily pulled from a drawer. When she cut off the stained bandages, blood poured out, and she nearly shrieked.

"What do you want?" she asked. "Your last rights?"

"No," Todd cringed as he gripped the wound. "Sew it together! Take needle and thread and sew it!"

Tearing a basket off the table, she reached for a spool of thick black thread sticking out of it, then dug around to find a sufficient needle. Nervousness swam over her body, as her fingers struggled to thread through the eye of the small piece of metal. She breathed a slight sigh of relief when she managed to pull it through.

"I can't see where the edge of the tear is!" she panicked. "What do I do?"

"Just… just sew whatever's close to it! I'll fix it later."

Without hesitation, she jabbed the edge of the wound with the needle and pulled through, even though his body jerked and he groaned loudly. Then she quickly pulled it through on the other side, slowly building a row of black stitches across the bloody, sore skin as a slight tear rolled down her cheek.

"Why did you leave me, Todd?"

His head struck the wooden floorboards as another loop of thread ran through. "What?"

"You left me. You broke my heart when you left and began fighting, getting maimed, even being thrown into the Sanakun like a criminal. Why did you choose that over me?"

"Oh," Todd groaned, "another time!"

"No!" she shouted as she jerked the thread through. "You never told me. You broke my heart, and I'm saving yours right now. Please, tell me."

"Because I love my country!"

"But more than me?"

Todd didn't know what to say. He was surprised fate brought him back to her, and especially in this manner. It all didn't make sense. It was as if something had led him down this path, like it was all an act out of a great play or a scene from a movie. After all, things didn't normally fall into place in this way. But what if he wasn't normal? And what was normal anyway?

With a gentle touch, he reached his bloody arms around her thin body and brought her lips to his. Closing his eyes, he kissed her passionately. As he let her go, she sat straight up, then slapped him hard across the cheek.

"You're such a fool, Todd McEdek!"

"Forgive me," he asked as he gazed into her eyes. "I missed you so much."

The stern look that once infected her visage seconds ago slowly melted. "I guess I'm a bigger fool then."

"I love you. But I don't deserve you."

Elena nodded with a slight smile. "Maybe not. But right now, I don't care about that." She returned to sewing his wound, but after a single stitch, dropped the needle and kissed him on the lips. Her black hair, of middle length and braided in some areas, started to fall in her face, so she pulled away and used her black and white bandana to tie it in the back.

"Remember the first night we met?" Todd asked.

"No," Elena quickly replied. Then, as she gazed at the hideous gash across his oblique, she bit her lip. "I thought you'd forgotten." She picked up the needle and returned to sewing, being much gentler than before.

"I remember like it was yesterday. You had just turned fifteen, which meant you were an adult. I heard about it from a friend of mine. She said you didn't even have anyone courting you." He paused as he gripped his side, though Elena smacked his hand away. "I didn't care very much, until I saw you. I asked who it was, and he said it was you. And I couldn't believe no one had taken you."

"I was a very shy kid," she added.

"I know, but so was I. Then how did I win you over?"

"Why don't you finish your story?"

Todd nodded. "Well there I was, wrapped in your immaculate beauty."

"Oh come on."

"No, it was a rainy day, because I had it all planned perfectly. I never had an umbrella, but I knew you had one, a black one like almost everyone else. I asked if I could walk with you because of the rain, and all you said was 'okay.'"

"Again, I was shy."

"That's all you needed to say though. You lived on the same street as I, which surprised me because I thought I knew Velenjo Street like my tail. The next day was the weekend, so I asked if I could take you to the marketplace. You said no."

"No, I said 'No, but if you would be so kind as to come back on sunset, I will walk with you to Itvilege's for a glass of milk.'"

"I thought you'd forgotten about that."

She paused. "Well, I had to correct you."

"Fair enough. But I bought you more than milk!"

"I know. It was at least a day's worth of wages back then, especially for a young adult."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you threw out the handkerchief I bought to wrap the roses I placed in it."

She sighed. "You really broke my heart, Todd."

"Then why do you wrap your hair in it?"

Realizing what she had done, she immediately yanked the cloth off her hair and rolled it up around her hand. After that, she tossed it aside, missing her target of the basket with the spools of thread. "It would never work," she finally said as she finished off the last bit of sewing. "Our lives are totally different. It would never be the same. Plus, I've changed and you've changed."

"Changed to the point where we could never understand each other?"

"You're right." She blinked her large eyes as she cut the thread with her teeth.

"That's a possibility. But I'm sure you're waiting for the day when I show up at your front door with a bundle of roses and whisk you away to an enchanted mansion on the edge of a beautiful Unonian forest."

"And what gives you that foolish dream?"

"You're so beautiful, but you live alone."

"Oh," she said as she bit her lip, "you'll only break my heart again. You'll toy with me for a few months then go back to fighting. You'll abandon me just like you did before. Then you'll beg me to accept you again. I can't play those games, Todd."

"It will never be like that. I've hurt you and I feel terrible for doing that. But I am more of a man now than I was then." He paused. "I lost you once, I'll never lose you again."

"And what makes you sure of _that_?"

He felt around the wound, noticing the hole was closed up and blood was beginning to dry around the stained fur. He looked up into her gaze. "Because I know deep down in your soul you love me and know that I love you. And I know the angel I once knew is still here right now, and I know if I asked that angel to have her hand in marriage, she would not hesitate to accept."

She smiled slightly. "And how do you know this angel you speak of is here?"

He shook his head as he sat up. "Nobody ever gets me as close to heaven as you do, Elena."

She turned away and stared at the floorboards to her small house. Her gaze trickled down to the knots in the wood, then upward to the cabinets and countertop made of a white stone. When Todd placed a hand on her arm, she turned back to him.

"This is my promise to you. I will never let any harm befall you. I will walk with you through all the paths of life, through the dark forests as well as the open fields. I will watch over you like the moon and cradle you in my arms when you cannot walk life's perils anymore. I will never lose sight of you. And I will love you. Even in the waning years of life, I will love you over all others, because you are my woman, and I am your man. And nothing will ever change that."

She sniffled hard as she dried a trickling tear with the red fur of her right arm. "Oh, Todd," she said with a weak voice, "I've waited years for you to say that, and now I don't know what to say to you."

"Accept it. You don't even need to say anything. Your smile will let me know."

Sniffling again, a great smile grew across her small muzzle. "How are you feeling?"

Todd let his hand roll from his stitched skin. "Oh, I've been better. But my heart is wonderful."

Smiling still, she placed herself on Todd's lap, letting her legs spread out around his. She paused. "I don't understand. How did you know I was here?"

Taking a single finger, he placed it on the bridge of her muzzle. He moved it downward, to her nose, and then to her lips. He smiled warmly.

Laughing slightly, Elena blinked her eyes. "You never change, Todd. You never do."

Todd shrugged as he slowly let his back and head rest against the hard floor. Elena, pressing against his chest with hers, fell in suit. His blood began to stain her dress, but she didn't seem to care. "I don't know how we met this time. The Almighty works in strange ways."

"Indeed he does."

As she shut her eyes, her head bent down to Todd's, and both kissed each other. Though he was content and relaxed, despite the blood dripping from his open cuts, feelings of fear and doubt riddled his mind. Even as he put his arms around her, raking her back with his claw-like fingernails, he knew their lives were not safe, and, especially with him in hers, she was now in danger. But, right now, that was in the distance. Now was the time for happiness. Now was the time for relief. As he kicked the door shut near him with a booted foot, he shut his eyes and relished a dream he thought he'd never reach. _Almighty God. Thank you. Thank you._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Why do you wear shades? You have beautiful eyes, even if they are green."

"They _are _green," Todd replied. "You've answered your own question. But there are other reasons."

"Oh?"

"They don't matter." Todd sighed as he gazed at Elena, wearing a black and white dress, as blood had soaked the one she wore earlier. Bedecked with lace and tied with white ribbon, it looked much more elegant than a regular dress. "Elena, there's something you have to know about me."

She bit her lip as her eyes shifted away. "You're leaving me again, right?"

"No, no. I would never do that. It's just that… the times we were apart, I've become a wanted man of the Mafia. I know I'm wanted by McRasko, especially after what I've been doing the past year or so, with obliterating soldiers, sacking cities, and working alongside our king. I only hope I'm blowing this all out of proportion, but I feel like I'm putting your life in danger. I love you, and I always will. But I don't want you hurt."

She nodded. "You really haven't changed at all then."

"No, no." Todd scratched the back of his neck. "It's just that I want you to know once we wed, you've basically put your life in great danger until this war is over."

"If we win, you mean."

Todd shook his head. "We _will _win." He looked around her small house, noticing the white wallpaper against the brick in the kitchen with the jaku wood cabinets and white colored stone for countertop. Though it was somewhat small, it was beautiful, and the small table by the window brought extra value to the room. "Elena, I know we will wed, but I don't know how."

"What do you mean?"

Todd could hint the slightly annoyed tone in her voice. "How can we find a cathedral that will keep our identities secret? The moment my name appears in a registry with yours, your name will forever be associated with mine."

"Then we must do it in secrecy."

Todd nodded, blinking hard. "I know. But how? Who do you know will even allow that? This city is filled with cathedrals from edge to edge, but where do we go to find a priest who would do that? And what if we ask the wrong man, and he tells his Mafian sympathizers that I'm with you?" He paused as he banged a hand on the table. "What do we do? Why does this always happen?" Raking his fingers through his black parted down the center hair, he felt Elena's gentle hands on his shoulders.

"We will do it tonight. There's only one cathedral I know that will always accept Unonian patriots like you – the Cathedral of the Seven Sacraments. It's a far distance away from here, but we could always walk."

Todd smiled, staring at his bare chest and worn pants, then scoffed. "I'm not dressed for it."

"That's true, but the cathedral should have spare clothes for a wedding. Most here do, don't you remember?"

"I never bothered to ask."

"Follow me – I'll take you to the building. I know the way."

Todd nodded. As her thin arm pushed the door open, a display of dead bodies poured into viewing. Mostly Mafian, although some civilians, dotted the ground as if the sky had vomited remains of cadavers hours ago. Yet it was dark now, and the shadows hid most of the bloodshed, no doubt. Tomorrow would ensure cleaning up after the dead, but as for the night, the great city needed its rest and time to heal.

"How do you fight?" she asked.

"What?" replied Todd as he stepped over a decapitated Mafian soldier, probably one of his own doing.

"You used a staff, at least that's what I remember. Do you still use it?"

"Of course. It's all I ever learned how to use."

"So if I gave you a gun, you wouldn't know how to fire it?"

"Probably not. But my aim would be horrible."

She laughed. "Then how does a staff with blades at each end manage to take out droves of men?" She paused. "I've seen Fox McCloud fight, and if you fight like he does, then you'd know."

"I'm a lucky shot."

"A thousand times over?"

"Sure, you'd be surprised." He turned back to Elena, then smiled once he knew she was as well. "It's a by-product of years and years of understanding and training. Most take a very long time to learn, but Jenko said I was a rapid learner."

Finally the sight of decaying bodies looked to be behind them. Deeper into the city meant taller buildings, though not necessarily more modern structures, as that was located east of where they were. From what Todd could see, and from what he could remember, a large avenue was two blocks away. But the haze of childhood mixed with the confusion of adult life produced a mixture of chaos and detached memories. Odd as it may seem, he enjoyed the incoherent conglomeration.

"Is this why you left then?"

Todd paused. "Elena, that day was very hard for me. In the span of a sunrise to a sunset, I left you behind, lost Jenko and my parents, and saved Fox McCloud's life." Turning, he and his fiancée ventured onto the wide avenue lined with shops and carts covered with cloth, signifying the end of another day. "I changed that day, and I had to choose the path that pulled me harder. I'm very sorry, Elena, but what I did there, all the pain and the anger, all the torture, everything. It was worth it." Though he thought she'd lash out at him, or reply with a half-hearted comment, he was surprised to see her nod her head.

"If we are to be together, I have to learn to respect that, Todd. This nation of ours has always been very important to us, but in different ways. I heard about your parents' death, but I didn't think too much of it. I don't know why, but I think it might be because of how they treated you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you still have that mask you used to carry around, right?"

Nodding solemnly, Todd walked under a stone archway, but not before letting Elena cross under it first. "I do. But I can't ever let that go. My parents may have arranged that to happen to me, but I really doubt that was their intention. After all, I was thirteen. I really don't remember much from that year, or the ones before it. All I know is I was a part of it for a year, writing down memories and events I could never remember now."

"You've never showed it to me."

He shook his head as he led her with a hand to her back. "I never want to either."

She paused as she ducked from a low-lying banner over a pharmacy. "Why do you still carry it?"

He moved his hand to her side. "I don't know, Elena. But something in me tells me to do so. Up to my death even."

Silence ensured as the two walked through the maze-like pathways of the great city. Minutes passed by quickly, seeming like hours in the midst of the journey. House after house, shop after shop, bordered the street. Some were lit and filled with life; others were completely dark, filled with dreams or death. Dreams seemed to be a way to escape the pains of war, but Todd reminded himself that dreams do come true from time to time, and, though this was not without its price, one of his was coming true. Guiding her by the hand, he watched as her shoulder blades peeked from her dress, exposing her spine as well. _How long will this last? What if I can't protect her like I said I would? Does she even realize what it's like out there, outside of Cavask, where battles are planted, tended, and allowed to grow like plants in a garden?_

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Elena, if you marry me, you have to know your life will probably never be the same again. Some parts will be better, but some will be worse. Do you understand?"

"Todd," she said as she turned around, "I wouldn't care if you were a marked man by both sides. Love is stronger than that, and in all your travels I thought you would've realized that by now."

"Well, yeah. But I'm worried about your life. I mean, my name is floating around the Unonian air and into Mafian ears."

"Then let them hear. And if you've managed to stay around this long, I don't think more enemies would necessarily burden you or harm you terribly. Speaking of which, how is your side?"

Todd grimaced. "I'll be fine. I always am."

"You know you're not. Come, it's only a few more miles." She paused. "Do you recognize the area we're in?"

Todd shook his head. Then, as his eye caught a dark, drab house to his left, he froze. The dark jaku wood outlining the white brick and olive green window trim contrasted with the darkened windows, semi-covered in cheap wood nailed to the bricks. As he stepped toward the run-down dwelling, he brought himself up to the window and pressed his hands against the glass. "We used to live here, you know," he finally spoke. "Though it wasn't ever in this condition."

"I remember this place very well."

"Jenko, Thomasso, and the others would be hurt to see their house in this way." As he let his hands fall from the dusty glass, he turned away. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"I understand. I just thought maybe you'd like to see, just to remember them."

He shook his head as he began walking from the building at a fast pace. "I remember their happiness, not their blood smeared across the wood." Sighing, he turned the corner with Elena at his side as he gripped his guardian staff with tense hands.

"There's nothing you could have done to save them, Todd. They would be honored to see you fight so well for them."

Remembering the skirmish with the mask, he turned his head to the ground. It was impossible to forget about that, as his capabilities no longer resided in the confines of morality and justice. No, he was capable of cold murder. _If I honestly tried to protect them, those who died there would still be alive. But I killed them. I did – the mask was only a vehicle to put my horrible desires in motion. And the man today… I did that without the mask. _He turned to Elena, who blinked at him with a slight smile. _Almighty, please make me incapable of taking her life too._

More silence fell over the two as their walk took them through the endless passages of brick and stone streets, until they finally reached the grounds of the great cathedral. Stretching hundreds of feet into the air, the structure's two twin towers on each side of the entrance seemed to care over the holy metropolis with a strong reverence. As they walked up the long stairway, they quickly reached the two large, thick polvenu wooden doors, which seemed to tower hundreds of feet in the air, though was probably only twenty. On each side of the door, near the top, were two statues – one of St. Aiya, the other of St. Thomasso – the first Christians of Uno and the vulpine race. The holy couple stared out to the square before them, watching the intricacies of their people for centuries. But, above all, the most striking feature of the cathedral was the stained glass, which spanned high across the stone edifice, letting the light from within pour out to the darkness below.

Todd's attention was swayed by the rapping of Elena's bony hand against the heavy door. She smiled. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Nodding, he blinked. "Amazing. Eight hundred years old, too."

Suddenly the door opened. As the light rained on the two, a blue-furred fox dressed in robes of red, white, and gold stepped toward them. "Yes humble ones, may I help you?"

Impressed at his youth, Todd was certain he had seen him before, but wasn't sure where. "We…"

"We have a problem, Your Excellency."

"Please, please, call me Ives. I may be the Archbishop of Cavask, but I am certainly not unapproachable without a proper greeting. What seems to be the trouble?"

"Sir, I am Todd McEdek, a servant of the true Unonians and a fighter of good. Unfortunately, my status has limited the openness of my life to the common ear, and I can't be as careless as I once was."

He reached out and touched Todd's hand. "You don't need to support your case, Unonian patriot. All I ask is you tell me what's wrong, and I'll do my best to assist you."

"We need to be wed as soon as possible. But in secrecy, for I am a marked man and I don't know how much longer my luck will run out."

Ives nodded solemnly. "Love is like that. While it is a burden, it is a blessing a thousand times fold. Please come in. I will prepare."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Dressed in the typical attire for marriage outside of a cathedral, Todd held Elena's hand in the darkness of the open air. Though he knew no cathedral would be acceptable, Todd was confident that the trees around him would serve as the buttresses and roof, and the animals their congregation.

"I never pictured our wedding to be quite like this," Elena whispered.

Todd gazed at her, noticing the long green dress on her thin frame, along with ilulevu vine, complete with its beautiful white flowers, crowned on top of her head. Beaded cloth adorned her waist, symbolizing the complicated path of life ahead of her. Added with the fact that her shoulders and feet were bare, she looked beautiful.

"Are you disappointed?"

She shook her head. "No. I think I like this better. Are you sure no one will spot is here?"

"It's a wooded ravine in Cavask. His Excellency told me this would be a safe place, as no one would even think to look here."

His eyes carried over to himself. Todd smiled when he viewed the attire of old. His boots, the only article he owned that he was allowed to use for the ceremony, hugged his feet and thighs close. A long, black skirt, done up with a thick black belt, fell to about his ankles. On his chest was a vest tied in string on the front of his chest, colored in red, white, and black, the traditional Unonian colors. His shades, along with the rest of his clothes, were kept back at the cathedral in the archbishop's own chamber.

"This man, Ives, is very nice," Todd added as he ran his hand over her dress.

"He's a very close friend of Fox's, I've been told."

Suddenly, Todd spotted a shadowy figure with flowing robes stepping down from the hillside and into the wooded ravine. Fog and mist settled in the low-lying area, which made his appearance look almost ghost-like. Yet once he stepped in the light of the moon, Todd could see that it was the Archbishop of Cavask, the man he met earlier.

"I must confess," he said with a laugh, "I've done just about everything except a marriage. But I'm trained in it, as I should be. Two forms of a Unonian marriage exist, but I will perform the one that you chose." He paused. "Todd, you cannot step forward without first releasing your staff. Though you seem to be a Chaljsko fighter, an occasion such as this should be barren of weapons."

Todd nodded as he leaned his staff against an aging polvenu tree. "I'm worried. Unonians and Mafians fought no less than a day ago inside the city, what if Mafians are moving into the city? Or watching us now?"

"Then the Holy Spirit will protect us, young servant."

"Of course, Father."

"Approach."

Todd gently held Elena's hands in his as they both stepped up to the priest in the same stride. Bending his head down slightly, he hoped to display his seriousness and solemnity of embarking on an important change. Surely the moon was out for them, as clouds began to part further across the lighted Unonian sky, casting light and shadows across the thicket. And the creatures of the night, finding their seats in the procession, crept from behind shadows yet somehow made their presence known.

"Todd Lensko McEdek, servant of the Almighty, you have asked for the hand of Elena McEskelso in marriage. The eternal union will bring about new responsibilities to your life. You must keep her, protect her from the unseen evils as well as seen, provide for her in the times of light as well as times of darkness, and cherish her like the riches of the immortal world. If you cannot do these acts, you are not worthy of her hand. Do you accept?"

"I accept," he replied, though his words were directed at Elena.

"Elena Lisa McEskelso, servant of the Almighty, Todd McEdek has asked for your hand in marriage. The eternal union will bring about new responsibilities in your life. You must keep him, support him be it in mist or fire, accept the joys as well as the perils in his life, and cherish him like the riches of the immortal world. If you cannot do these acts, you are not worthy of his invitation. Do you accept?"

"I accept," she replied after a pause.

As if on cue, man and woman knelt in front of the priest, who presented them with a beaded chain. Both held out the hand closet to one another, and Ives wrapped their wrists together, making sure their arms were extended at the same level. This was somewhat difficult, as he had only one hand, but the action was still sufficient. Then, he removed a chalice from within the folds of his arm. From a belt on his rope, he took a sheepskin bottle from a knot and poured a very dark red fluid from the old-fashioned container into the elegant cup. The fluid appeared darker once it began to increase in volume.

"This liquid has been blessed and has become blood of the Christ. It serves to cleanse you for the oncoming union." He handed each the cup, Todd first, and they drank from it quickly.

"Now begins the union. Together, you are bonded physically. But, when the blood of a loving couple is united, as it is written in the Book of Vers, in the ceremony of marriage, their union will become unbreakable, thus forever protected by the Almighty, unless, of course, one or both does or do not make it to the Almighty's domain, the New Uno."

Fox and vixen gazed into each other's eyes as Ives grabbed the two joined hands and cut the bony tops in a cross formation with a very slender blade. Reformed over the centuries, the technique had become a much less painless one, especially with the addition of better instruments for the cutting of flesh and an appreciation of anatomy. The blood ran quickly off their hands until a channel of Todd's blood met that of Elena's.

"The Almighty is with you."

"And also with you," both replied to the priest.

"Man and woman are now united. While spiritually separate, their souls shall never part, lest one falls from the hand of the Almighty. May you seek him always."

"We are the servants. We will always listen to our master."

The couple brought their lips together and kissed. Still chained together, they used their free arms to hold each other's backs, bringing them close for the moment. When they finished, they both slowly pulled away, gazing into each other's eyes with silent reverence, a secret understanding only possible to be unlocked between the souls of two lovers.

"My work here is finished."

"Wait," Todd replied, still holding Elena, "Ives, I must give you something for this. I don't have much money, but –"

He waved his only hand. "You need not worry." With a great smile, he cleared his throat and began to walk up the hill. "Seeing love is always worth more than money anyway." Moving up the hill further, he laughed slightly.

"Our clothes are in your chamber!" Todd called out.

"I know! You may come for them tomorrow!"

Todd watched as the priest continued to saunter up the incline. Soon he would reach the road, then, after more navigating through the web of the city passages, reach the square and then the cathedral.

Suddenly, he was forced to the ground. As he opened his eyes after the thud, he noticed Elena at his side, laying next to him on the cool evening.

"Ives forgot to undo the chain," Todd said with a slight laugh.

Elena shook her head. "It's meant for us to undo it."

"But that can wait until later."

She smiled. "Of course."

Sighing peacefully, Todd watched as she began to close her eyes. She put her free hand on his side as a deep sigh came from her small nose. His worries began to ease as he watched her chest move up and down with each breath. _Why does the Almighty make the vixen look so beautiful? She's intelligent, assertive, understanding… and at the same time so beautiful. Our culture centers on love, but I believe it is more the will of nature than anything else. After all, tens of thousands of years ago, we had no culture, and people still loved, people were still having marriages and children. Now we have a culture, but we have great wars and machines to complicate life. Does that make our love more pronounced or more refined even? _He paused. _That's it. That's why the Almighty made vixens beautiful. Without them and the grace of the Almighty, there'd be nothing left in the cold world that is beautiful. We need them._

Letting his gaze wander, Todd noticed his staff, leaning against a tree at a safe distance. _I will never hurt her. But the events in the past few days… no, never. I am a Chaljsko fighter, I am protected and with the Almighty. And I will protect her and all Unonians, as I promised._

Elena shifted closer to his arms. "What are you staring at, Todd?"

He moved closer to her. "Peace."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Elena exhaled a relaxing sigh as she silently stretched her arms. Though it was still the dead of night, she was not frightened. She was in the arms of another, finally married, and married to the man she had been in love with for so long.

"How does life work?" she asked, though she knew the fatigued fighter was not listening. "How did you know where I was, or that I still missed you? How did you know? And why did you still love me after all this time?" She paused, stroking the leather on his trench coat with a wiry hand. "You're impossible, Todd McEdek. What if I threw you right out of my house? What if I decided to let you bleed right on my floorboards? What if I left you right now?" Stopping herself, she was amazed at where her thoughts had led her. "Do I really love you, Todd McEdek? Or am I merely falling victim to another emotional high? I know you love me. Though you left, you came back, and you knew very well I was _more_ than capable to let you die under my care. But… do I love you?"

She watched his chest, battered and bruised, heave in and out air. The waning moon cast shadows to the forest below, letting the luminous glow fall on his face, which silently and rigidly remained in an unmoving sleep. Even his large eyes, once full of care and will, were now closed, giving his body the appearance of peace, temporary at best.

"Perhaps I'm only playing you the way you did to me years ago." She sighed. "You're a very good man, Todd. But… I can't live the same life you do, even if we are married." Her fingers ran from his trench coat, falling on the soft soil. "I'm sorry, Todd. I never want to break your heart, but I have to know just how real my love is for you."

Though his expression never changed, she was sure her invisible words would reach his ears eventually. Her face was devoid of expression, totally unsure of what she should do next. With a heavy heart, she finally sat up, then, on bended knee, focused on the chain that still bound them together.

Suddenly, an arrow struck the ground, inches from where her knees planted into the soft soil. She picked it up. _An arrow? _Elena ducked her head low as she tried to scan the area for any intruders. Then, like the blink of an eye, another landed firmly in Todd's backside, sticking out of the back like the probing limb of a malevolent tree.

Without hesitation, she yanked the arrow from his back and flung it into the distance. Turning to Todd, she shook him violently. "Todd! Todd, wake up! Someone's after us!" No movement came from his body. Instead he flailed around like a child's rag doll. "Todd!" she squeaked.

Another arrow zoomed across her triangular ears. With a sudden jerk, she collapsed to the ground, lying as close to the fallen man as possible. To keep her silence in check, she tried desperately to steady her breathing while holding her breath at the same time to listen for any noises. Time rolled by like boulders pushed against a steady incline. Though she was scared, the warm fur of her partner eased her fears slightly.

"Do we have them?" a voice called out, echoing across the forested ravine.

"Yes, I just saw the second one go down!"

"Perfect. Let's get them then get out of here."

Elena froze in fear as footsteps began to strike her ears. Rustling over leaves, roots, and soil, they slowly grew louder, though moving slower than the beating of her heart. Shutting her eyes, she held her breath as the sounds increased until they seemed to emit from within an arm's length. She felt Todd's body move, but, as two large hands brushed against her thin frame, she was certain it wasn't her husband's doing.

"I don't get it," the first voice spoke, "they said he had a mask. It was white marbled, with black or something. Where is it?"

There was a pause as a great hand grabbed Elena's left arm. With a hard jerk, it broke the chain binding the two together. "Well, it has to be here somewhere. We can't be long – the poison on those arrows will wear off in a few hours. They'll be awake by then!"

"I know, shut up! Here, you look to your left. I'll go to the right, by those three trees over there, okay?"

"Go! Shout if you find it!"

"Remember, we kill him if we can't find it in time!"

The sounds of their shuffling feet began to decrease. More sounds, the sounds of rustling leaves and snapping branches, could be heard across the ravine. Elena slowly opened her eyes. No one was near, and, as she turned her head to the right, she noticed the backside of a burly Careinian some one hundred feet away, nervously busying himself with dense thicket near a large ikvu tree.

Holding her breath, she searched around the area. She couldn't have just let them carry them off. After all, what would they want with her, her husband, and his mask? She had no idea, but all she remembered was that he said it would follow him until his death. But what if they never found it? Then he would truly die anyway. She bit her lip. _They will never kill my husband. He sacrificed a lot and never forgot about me. The least I could do would be the same._ With her mind made up, she slowly stood and quickly spotted the staff lying against the tree.

"What's so important about this mask anyway?"

"Important?" the man laughed as Elena softly stepped in the moonlit soil. "I… I don't know, but anything McRasko wants _has _to be important."

"So important that he only sent two of us to do it?"

"Not _him_… he's somewhere else. Some Mafian who followed this man from the north. But he told me McRasko would reward us for finding it!"

With quick reflexes, Elena nabbed the staff from its resting location. A determined look shone on her face as she neared the first Careinian while carefully avoiding any loose thicket or leaves that would make a great amount of noise.

"And I can't believe this was all on a tip from a man who watched them move into the woods from his window! How lucky are we!"

"Well, we won't be lucky for long if we can't find that mask. That's most important! After all, if we find it, won't we be able to kill him and the other one immediately?"

"Of course. We'll just let it do the dirty work for us! But it's best to keep him alive if we do find it, only for a while, so he can show us how it works."

Elena crept up to the nearest man. His stature, combined with his muscular build, was no match for her. Totally disadvantaged, she instead relied on her sleekness as well as speed. As she snuck closer, she noticed he seemed to be fixated on a certain underbrush, moving the leafy vegetation noisily to his left and right with big, burly hands. Moving closer still, she positioned herself directly behind the Careinian man, aiming the staff inches from his gray neck. Using all her strength, she pushed the staff down and struck the man at the base of the neck. Letting out a slight grunt, she watched as the man's body went completely limp, collapsing on the bush he had been investigating only seconds ago.

"Found anything yet?"

Elena panicked. She sunk to the ground, not sparing any time to keep her dress from rustling. Watching from a bush, she tried to cover her face in the thick vegetation.

"Kovelso? Kovelso?" He paused for what seemed like a half a minute. Then, with a quick turn, he began to head back toward Todd's body. Stumbling over underbrush, his lumbering body quickly carried him to the spot. "Mask or no mask, if I kill this freedom fighter now, we'll never have to deal with him. Either way, the likes of McRasko should be proud." Lifting his foot, he positioned it directly over Todd's neck.

She watched as worries encircled her head. _If I say something, I will probably die. But… I can't let this happen! _With a slight rustle, she stood. "You leave my husband alone!" Elena shrieked. Holding his staff tightly in her grip, she watched as the Careinian immediately spotted her and began storming toward her, tearing branches and tall grasses with ease.

"Get over here!" he yelled as he jumped over a steep incline. "Get over here now!"

Wasting no time, Elena ran in the opposite direction, hoping to escape the woods and find help as soon as she could. Her long vulpine legs were no match for the thick burly pair of the Careinian, which clumsily crashed through the environment. Elena dodged a low-lying branch and had enough time to notice that the large man was falling farther and farther behind. Turning to the left, she jumped over thick roots and downed branches into a bed of dead leaves. As soon as her feet hit the soft ground, she stopped.

"Now what do I do?"

Her ears bent back as she noticed a large creek past a stretch of mud blocking her path. The water was too difficult to cross, as walking barefoot on thin, jagged rocks would end the chase almost immediately.

Suddenly, she turned around. The Careinian, who seemed days away from her only a minute ago, was only a few feet from where she stood. In an instant she whipped the staff in front of her and blindly swiped at the gray-skinned man. When she opened her eyes, she noticed he had barely moved, and instead chose to mock her with a comical smile. Determined, she jerked the staff forward and aimed directly for the man's chest.

"Oh come on!" he laughed. "No vulpine clack can maim me!"

He immediately grabbed the staff, much to Elena's surprise, and pulled with such great force it flung out of her hands and to the ground some ten feet away from both of them. Cringing, she looked down and noticed her dress was torn, along with the skin of her leg where blood began to flow.

He laughed again. "Come on, just give up!" Extending his arms, his grin grew wider. "Give me a kiss and I'll let you go!"

Elena stepped up to him cautiously, unsure what to do. When she was face to face with the burly man, she waited until he bent forward and then bit the side of his cheek with her sharp teeth. Clamping down on the flesh, she managed to tear off a substantial piece amidst his screams.

"Bitch!" the man boomed with a hard slap across her cheek. Immediately she fell to the ground, tears welling in her eyes, as the man continued to scream. "You stupid bitch!"

In an instant, Elena ran to the staff and, with quick reflexes, picked up the heavy weapon and swung it at the man. It nailed him directly in the back, opening up a great gash across his shoulder blades.

Tears fell from her bruised cheek. "You leave him alone! What did he ever do to you?"

With an impressive turn, the burly Careinian grabbed Elena by the arm. He squeezed tight as he whipped her close to him. "So, you're the one we thought was lying down back there, eh?" he growled under clenched teeth. He gripped his cheek as he winced in pain. "Well, I'll take you to my superior. He won't play games with a bitch like you!"

Again he slapped her across the cheek. Yet before Elena had time to react, she was pulled in the direction the man walked. She tried to yank herself free, but it was no use. Losing her footing, she succumbed to being dragged by the man, though her footing managed to pick her body back up once they began to walk up an incline. She jumped over a large rock, trying desperately to keep herself from falling again. As she passed under a collection of limbs from a young polvenu tree, she turned to look behind her. _I hope Todd is okay. I hope I will be able to see him alive. _A single tear rolled down her face. _Why was I so foolish – I truly do love him with all my heart. Why did I even think of leaving him? I miss him already._

When she turned her head, she realized she was back on the street that hugged the wooded ravine with careful curves. However, she was also greeted by a collection of soldiers, soldiers with chain mail and breastplates.

The one with the most medals across his chest spoke. "Po, what the hell is this?" He jerked his back cape so it fell onto his shoulders.

Po flung her into the arms of the vulpine man. "She was sleeping with him."

The man rubbed his chin. "I see. And does she know where this… freak's mask would be?"

Shaking her head, her vision carried out into the forested area.

The Careinian stepped forward as if he was going to strike her, but he stopped once he realized his superior was watching him. "No, General McObilu. She's just a bitch. She wouldn't know anyway."

Sighing, the general pushed Elena into the arms of another sentry. "Set her with the rest of the prisoners gathered today. We don't have a lot of time left. McRasko's personal army should be approaching in a few days." He turned to Po. "Find that bastard's mask! And if he wakes up, kill him!"

Nodding, Po stumbled back into the woods.

"No!" she begged. "Don't kill him! Don't!" Elena screamed, trying to break free, but was immediately gagged by another man who slapped her across the cheek. Then, as her head bent to the ground, she felt a man's hand touch the bottom of her muzzle. Her head lifted as General McObilu's face was directly in front of hers.

"Oh, don't worry, young vixen," he said with a smile. "Soon he will be dead. But I want it done right this time! He killed so many men and completely defused an attack on this city, but now it will be he that faces demise!" He looked above to the guards holding her. "Take her away!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Morning birds chimed pleasantly as their songs struck the triangular ears of Todd. The sounds were comforting, even if he wanted more sleep at the moment. But as one flapped its wings and flew across to another nearby branch, the vulpine male rubbed his eyes and sat up, using his bare arm to prop his side up. As he smacked his lips a few times to stretch his jaw, he moved slightly, then paused.

"Elena?"

Scanning the entire area with his green eyes, Todd impatiently combed his viewing area, but no sign of her was at hand. As he stood as fast as a bullet fired from the barrel of a shotgun, he immediately began looking behind shrubs, vines, trees, and large rocks for where she was, calling out her name frequently. But still, no sign of his wife.

"Elena! Almighty, no. Almighty, no."

Suddenly, his ears perked up. Detecting a sound from far into the distance, he started running after it, then stopped when his boots raked something underfoot. Moving his left foot out of the way revealed the beaded chain from their wedding, torn and scattered in all directions. He bent down to pick it up.

"What happened?"

Not spending a moment to think about it, he grabbed what he could of the chain and began running into the direction of the sound, calling out her name with each breath that passed through his vocal cords. As he ran, thoughts polluted his distraught mind. _My staff wasn't back there. Did she take it? Or was it I who did… and used it too?_

Passing over low-lying branches, Todd ran faster toward the sound. But, as he leapt over a collection of vegetation, he stopped dead in his tracks. Slightly embarrassed, he realized the sound was coming from a creek within the woods, moving slowly over a collection of level rocks down a crooked path. Yet another sight attracted his attention, more so than anything in his entire life.

"My… staff?"

Peering from a distance, he noticed the familiar guardian staff with its familiar two blades on opposite ends lying next to muddy soil and fallen leaves. Boot prints littered the area, along with footprints and many streaks in the soft soil. Todd stepped up to the staff, and carefully picked it up, like he was plucking a rose in a field of flowers. Blood dripped from the axe-like blade of the staff, and upon closer inspection, frayed threads of green cloth with it.

"Almighty in heaven," Todd said as he could barely breathe, "I've killed her." He placed his boot in one of the prints in the mud, and it fit almost perfectly – perhaps a little large, but the tread was exact. Then, as he gazed out to the creek, he noticed the struggle went right to the edge of the water. Stumbling to the creek bed, he bent down and looked in the flowing water, seeing if her body was in it. "No, no, no. This can't be happening. This can't be happening!"

He stood and looked to the sky. "Elena! I love you!" He turned to his staff. "I love you, but never deserved you." The broken chain in his hand was placed in a pocket of the vest as he focused intently on the bloody blade. "I have become what I said I would destroy. And I cannot live with knowing that these hands cut her down! Let them kill one last time!" He drew his staff and aimed directly for the heart.

"Todd!"

He stopped in mid thrust, grabbing the staff with both hands as the axe-like blade was less than an inch from where his vest covered his chest.

"Todd! Don't do it!"

Scattering of leaves intensified behind him as the man calling out his name stormed up to him and immediately batted the staff away from him.

"What is wrong with you? Take your life? That is the ultimate sin! You would never be united with her if you did that!"

"I… I…"

Ives furrowed his brow. "You what?"

"I killed her. The woman I love. I killed her! I killed her!" Kneeling to the ground, Todd buried his face in his trembling hands.

"_Killed _her?"

"Yes!" he shrieked. "I don't remember it either! But her blood is on my staff!"

Doing the sign of the cross, Ives knelt down to his level. "That can't be. You're a Chaljsko fighter! A man of the Almighty!"

"I know!"

"Where is her body?"

Todd parted his hands, exposing his face full of anguish and rage. "I don't know!"

"What do you mean you don't know? If you killed her, then you should know where her body is!"

"It's not like that! I _am_ a killer. This isn't the first time I've killed an innocent life! Ever since four days ago – ever since they made me wear my mask! Ever since then I've murdered the innocent!"

"Mask?" Ives shifted his eyes back and forth as if he was in deep thought. "You mean the one you tote in a bundle of cloth?"

"Yes!"

"Todd, my son, that mask is pure evil!"

"Then why do I feel like I must carry it with me?"

He put a blue-furred hand to his muzzle. "Describe to me the means in which you killed these people."

Todd swallowed a large breath of air and closed his eyes as his hands began to calm. "The first three were killed four days ago. I wore the mask and killed them in horrible means. Yesterday I killed a civilian in battle. I stabbed him in the back on accident, and as he fell to the ground, I knelt next to him and was heartbroken to see him in such pain. Then, without even thinking about it, I stabbed him three times and finished the job. With Elena," he continued as he looked at his staff, "I don't know. I don't remember anything."

Ives nodded, though his mouth was ajar. "Todd, those deaths can all be explained. The first three were brought about by the mask, not you. And the one yesterday, you could've just wanted to put the man out of his misery. After all, it was an accident, and the Almighty knows our imperfections. And your wife, well, we don't know what happened to her for sure." Placing a hand on Todd's shoulder, the young priest looked into his eyes. "Don't let this eat you! It could be all in your head, my son!"

"But what if I wanted to kill them? What if it isn't in my head?"

Ives paused. "I will ask three questions. If you can say 'no' to all, then you truly did not mean to kill those people. And answer me as honest as you can, for this is serious, Todd. People are put to death for crimes such as these. Did you enjoy taking their lives? Or, is there any spark in you that takes pleasure in killing anyone?"

Todd shook his head. "If it were up to me, no one would kill. We all would love. I don't take pleasure in killing Mafians even!"

"Okay. If you had to choose, would you kill an innocent one over yourself?"

"No. I would refuse to kill at all in that situation." He shook his head. "You don't understand – I don't want to kill, and I never have. But I did, and I do."

"Which brings me to my third question. Do you have any desire within you whatsoever to kill me right now? Or anyone, for that matter?"

Todd paused. "Anyone?"

"Yes, anyone."

He turned away. "I am still a Chaljsko fighter. I cannot lie. Yes, I do desire to kill one person."

"And who would that be?"

"Bronson McRasko. For killing so many of my people. I want him to feel pain for their deaths. I want to send him to hell."

"Todd, you did not kill those people intentionally. Being a Chaljsko fighter, and one who carries such an evil object in his possession, their deaths were not due to you. What probably happened was you couldn't get over the killings with your mask on that it eventually consumed you."

"And Elena?"

"I wouldn't judge until her body turns up, Todd."

The Chaljsko fighter paused. "Didn't I fail your test?"

"Yes, but I can understand your feelings toward McRasko. Todd, you are a Chaljsko fighter. When you accepted that role, you also accepted to carry the burdens as well as the pains of others. Which brings me to why I came out here to find you in the first place."

"Which is… what?"

"Which is, young fighter, you have a very special ability and a very special soul. It is very unusual, so much so that I honestly doubt you are capable of killing those who are innocent anyway."

Todd squinted his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"A friend of yours, named Joshuo McEdek, found the Cathedral of Seven Sacraments only hours ago. He asked if I had seen you, as you've turned up missing since the battle and he figured a good place to begin searching while keeping a low profile was to look around a few of the larger cathedrals in Cavask. He told me what you have done in the past few days, almost as if you haven't been yourself. Why is that, Todd? How have you changed?"

He scoffed as he stood from where he knelt in the leaves. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do. First, you have the ability to remove the Kicktach Mask from your face. This shows you have the power of the Almighty flowing through you like the mighty Ca'ar River." He moved his hand above his head for added effect. "A profound soul such as that is truly remarkable. Second, I know you can will things to come to you. While it may be only circumstantial, the fact that you can do such things implies you are special, picked above others in order to do acts most cannot. It's written in some of the older documents of the Chaljsko – what you are doing is not normal, but better than normal."

"So what? It means nothing unless I actually use it."

"Indeed. But this puts me in an awkward position. Many believe Fox McCloud the fourth guardian of Uno. I believe he is too. According to ancient texts, he is the last if this is true. I don't mean to put this in harsh tones, but if he fails, or has already failed, you will take his position."

Todd shook his head. "Fox McCloud will not fail. He is alive, and I feel it. He'll return any day now."

"May it be as you say. But you still have a job, and that job must be kept secret for the time being. Your skills, gifts, and talents all point to one path, and that path is the path to become the leader of the Da'velu, the highest honor among all who practice the Chaljsko. The _New_ Da'velu, as the old one is completely destroyed."

Todd scoffed as he dropped his staff on the hard forest floor behind him. "That position's reserved for the best Chaljsko fighter alive, which I'm not. And it's designated for a man who hasn't killed anyone."

"I know that. I am a good friend of many Chaljsko fighters, including Fox. But this position isn't earned, it's granted, by the Almighty. And your skills and abilities point in that direction, Todd. You are a protector as well. In every century, there has been a protector of Uno, one who preserves and serves the people by assisting them and destroying anyone or anything that comes into their path."

"And how do you know? Forgive me, Father, but this is all crazy. I'm nothing, just a fighter, a fighter who doesn't even know himself anymore."

"I listened to your speech before yesterday's battle, Todd. You _are_ that protector Uno has been searching for. You are the one they speak of in the ancient texts, the one who fights alongside the guardian, the one who overcomes a mask of darkness, the one who will unite the order of old, become the leader of the Chaljsko, and preserve this city in a great, terrible battle. You are the protector, and servant of everyone you see."

"Are you joking?"

"Priests aren't allowed to joke," he said with a smile. "It's supposedly a serious profession."

"And another battle? I came to Cavask with intent on uniting every single Chaljsko fighter alive. But I'm only one person – it'll take years to do that."

"If you are the protector, Todd, you will. But not because it is easy. You will."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Arriving at the Cathedral of Seven Sacraments, Todd let the robed man lead the way up the stairs and into the massive structure. People around the square watched as he stepped up the old rungs, as his clothing displayed his new status as a recently married man. Though his original intent was to keep it a secret, the events that transpired over the day left any care within him bare.

"I will present you your clothes at the back of the building. Just sit in one of the pews, and you may go."

Todd nodded as Ives opened the large, towering doors with a simple tug from his only hand. Though he had seen it yesterday, Todd was still overwhelmed by the immaculate beauty of the inside. The cathedral itself was massive, but the beauty of the details within it was even more of a shock. Hundreds, possibly thousands of candles lined the great aisle leading to the altar in the distance. Daylight poured in from the great stained glass windows and onto the main body below. Todd raised his eyebrows. The one closest was a scene depicting Christ and St. Peter, teaching a lesson. The altar in the distance was just as beautiful, as a great crucifix in the style of the Unonian faith soared behind more stained glass, lined with buttresses on each side. In all, the four wings comprised the great structure, as he peeked over a tall corner and spotted the last one. Shaking his head in awe, he was certain the cathedral could fit over one hundred thousand people in it, maybe more if people stood close.

"Your clothes, Todd."

Snapping out of his gaze, Todd spotted Ives in front of him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice you leave."

"Admiring the art?" he asked as his head moved across the lighted walls. "It's so grand, and the repairs on the windows have been very good too." He turned back to Todd. "You may dress here if you'd like."

Todd dropped his jaw. "But isn't that disrespectful?"

Ives shook his head. "I meant inside one of the confessional booths."

Nodding, Todd walked over to the booth constructed and carved with intricate pictures out of jaku wood. He closed the door gently and began to change into his regular clothes. When he stepped out, he swung the door open and stormed up to Ives, adjusting one of the bracelets on one of his arms.

"The mask!" Todd shouted. "It's gone!"

"No, Todd, it's here. I kept it to ensure its dormancy."

Todd held out his hand, and the bundle of cloth was returned to him. Inspecting it, he peeked over one of the folds of the cloth, making sure it was safe. "Thank you," he finally replied after he checked the string making sure it was somewhat taught.

"Todd, last night I performed some research on that mask you carry. Before you go, I want share with you my findings." He paused and waited for Todd to nod his head in affirmation. "It is almost twelve hundred years old, and was created by a man who had devoted his entire life to mask making. As he neared his death, and some ten thousand masks later, he wanted to make one last mask, one that displayed the perfection of his techniques as well as his skills. He made two."

"Two?"

"Yes, two masks exactly the same. But he died before he could put any details into them, such as a mouth and typical markings of a vulpine mask from that century, such as long whiskers, and thick outlines for eyes. Anyway, they rested in his home for decades, until one man removed both from his home. There the details are a little sketchy, but somehow these masks began to take on special powers, where the wearer would channel the power, much like we do from the Almighty, only much more unusual and much more profound. It's said they were altered to drive away the Careinians from the region he hailed from, which is near Caviske. But he soon realized his error. Giving his friend one mask, he wore the other and immediately began to wreck havoc on the village. He killed nearly half before his friend, wearing the other mask, fought him and managed to kill him. The intensity of the fight caused the one wearing the other mask, the good mask, to die too."

"Where is this other mask?" Todd asked.

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, a Careinian wivoloch and his soldiers watched the whole thing, stole the masks, and brought them to Canvhis. In order to understand the masks, the alchemist and his men took vulpine slaves from around the area to find out about them. This is the beginning of the Kicktachs, Todd. They realized the mask you carry, named the Kicktach Mask, could predict the future, but required a new host every year in order to keep the string going. The other, the good mask, was stolen, but without much contest, as they couldn't find any other powers associated with it to be of any worth to them."

Todd's face began to show his anxiousness. "And it is… where?"

"Within the confines of this cathedral, Todd. It's right here." He reached deep within the folds of the sleeves of his robe and pulled out a mask, appearing exactly the same as the one he toted with him already. "You've suffered under the evil one, I thought maybe you could experience this too."

"Set myself free," Todd slowly spoke as he held out his hands. In an instant, he nabbed the polished marble and held it with trembling hands.

"There is, however, some bad news, Todd."

"What is that?" he asked, though his eyes still focused on the false face devoid of expression.

"The Kicktach Mask, the evil one, its spell can only be broken if it is worn by the dying last wearer."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that in order to break its curse, you have to put it on just before your death. It is the only way to destroy the evil within it."

"But what if I just destroyed it? Everything within me tells me not to, but I don't see how taking a sledgehammer to it wouldn't destroy anything."

"It will release the evil within it, Todd. The same is true with the other mask, but it will release the good within it, though very miniscule. Sadly, they were made that way." He paused. "If you are concerned, your soul will not suffer."

Todd bit his lip. "I see." Still gazing at the mask in front of him, he turned it over. "I feel a very strong pull. But it's a different desire than with the Kicktach Mask. This time is… different."

Ives placed a hand on Todd's shoulder. "Once you put it on, you accept it as your new face, as there is no known way to remove it from a living person. It _is _powerful, Todd, but you must be completely sure of yourself. I would give it some time to think about, at least. Or perhaps when you're older. Just don't make a rash decision you'll regret!"

"If I wear this, will I still be able to destroy the evil of the Kicktach Mask?"

Ives paused. "Yes, by placing it on your face just before your death. But I advise you, Todd. This is a very serious choice."

Scoffing, the black-clad vulpine shook his head slightly. "What do I have left, anyway? My wife is gone, my parents are gone, Fox has not come back, and Uno is falling more and more under McRasko's thumb."

"Just give it more time, all I ask."

"It will be the greatest thing I've ever done. Now I truly can be known as a patriot, and rid our nation of evil better than I ever thought possible." He paused. "At least I can rest knowing that _when_ I die, Elena and I will be united in the New Uno." Jerking Ives's only hand off his shoulder, Todd exhaled his breath and put the mask to his face. As if on cue, his body collapsed to his knees, and his hands reached for his face, letting the cool, smooth marble run down his spidery digits, from his forehead to the top of his neck.

"Todd?" Ives trembled. "Can you hear me?"

Nodding slowly, he pulled away his fingers and stared at them through pitch black eyes. Like he was viewing them for the first time, he detected a scar embedded in the black fur of his left hand, pushing apart the short hair and revealing an impressive gash sealed from the healing of time. Lifting his right hand to view, he spotted the cross cut on the top of his hand. He bowed his head and let the cut touch the top of his marbled forehead.

"We will find her, Todd," Ives reassured. "She will always be with you, no matter what happens."

After the last syllable uttered by the high priest, Todd jumped to his feet with a single spring. Stepping toward the aisle, he gazed at the altar. Then, as he turned around, he bent his head back and shook his body, as if he was screaming.

"Todd?"

Falling to his knees once more, he melted to the floor and held his head in his hands. Yet his body was far from still. His fingers suddenly began to grow to grotesque lengths as the skin on his hands tightened, revealing the placement of bones. It was difficult to distinguish his fingers from long slender twigs of a tree. His shirt from under his trench coat drooped as his already emaciated body seemed to cave in at his abdomen, leaving behind an almost skeletal-like appearance. Then, suddenly, the metamorphosis stopped, leaving behind an embodiment of imminent death.

Ives followed his moves, kneeling to his side. "What is going on, Todd? I want to help you the best I can. Please tell me!"

Suddenly, the great polvenu doors to the main aisle of the cathedral opened. Two men, one human and another vulpine, stepped up to where Todd had fallen. As they walked, one put his guardian staff in front of him, while the other pulled his out from a backpack and extended his on the click of a button.

"We heard a shout," the human said as he fixed his hair. His tattered, loose clothing of dark clothing, complete with strips of metal holding his pants to his hips, displayed his urban poverty, much like Todd. "It was a very eerie noise – but we were compelled to come here. Is everything alright?"

At that moment, another vulpine Chaljsko fighter wearing the traditional Unonian clothing of red, white, and black, ran up to the group. "What is happening?" he asked as he flung his long hair away from his face.

"We don't know," replied the other vulpine fighter.

Ives smiled at Todd, who lifted his head from all the commotion. He stood. "Everything is alright, I believe. Are you all Chaljsko fighters?"

"Yes, Your Excellency" the human replied. "It isn't hard for us to know for sure. The Chaljsko can act as a signal sometimes, and the signal is very intense here."

"Exactly," another vulpine Chaljsko fighter said as he entered through the door. His dark clothing added to the atmosphere. "But is everything okay? I heard a scream."

Everyone nodded. "Yes," the human replied. "But who… or what is this?"

Standing on his own two feet Todd looked the man directly in the eyes.

"I see," the Chaljsko fighter spoke. "But what does that mean for you?"

Ives grabbed the man with his only hand. "You can hear him?"

Everyone turned to the Archbishop of Cavask. "Yes, as sure as we're all standing here. We all can, as clear as day. Can't you, Your Excellency?"

Letting go of the man's arm, Ives shook his head. "No. No, I cannot. Not a single sound."

The newest fighter stepped forward and knelt in front of him. "I am terribly sorry, Your Excellency, both for the dilemma and for not addressing you in the first place. Would you like to know what he is saying?"

"Only if it pertains to me. Being the Archbishop of Cavask for a little less than a year, one can say I'm young and inexperienced, but I at least understand there are conversations I should stay out of."

The human nodded as he fixed his glasses. "He tells us he is in a lot of pain. He speaks of an Elena, but I am unsure of who that is right now."

"I see," Ives muttered.

Suddenly, from the door came another fox. Scars and bruises dotted his face like a map. As his hands fumbled from the door to the open air, the blind vulpine stepped dumbly to the group. "I heard something. Is everything okay?"

The vulpine Chaljsko fighter with long hair walked up to the blind fox and led him to the group. "Everything is fine. Are you a Chaljsko fighter, Joshuo?"

"Hush!" The blind fox paused. "Yes, yes I am," he replied. "I'm Joshuo McEdek, but don't tell anyone of my learned fighting technique. I don't know what would happen if my brother were to find out, or what he would even say."

"Joshuo," Ives said, "why do you keep it a secret?"

Following the tone of voice, he stumbled up to the priest. "Because I used to learn by spying on him and letting the wisps of air his staff produced with each swing guide me to understanding and ability to do the works of the art. Apparently, from what I've been told, it is the wrong way to learn."

"You're ears tell you wrong, blind man."

"Plus, I've often displayed my displeasure of the art in words. I killed Mafians last night even." He paused. "Todd is here." He gripped the man's shoulder. "He's here! Now what do I say?"

"Say what you must, then leave it," the human Chaljsko fighter muttered. "A true Chaljsko fighter forgives, but cannot forget."

Shaking off the guiding hands of his contemporaries, Joshuo stepped up to the direction of Todd, using his outstretched arms to save him from any perils. When he reached his friend, his hands met his face, and he stopped. "Todd?" he quivered. "Are you there?"

"Joshuo, the mask he wears is a good one," Ives revealed. "The evil one is still dormant. No need to worry."

"I see," the blind fox whispered, his mouth agape. "Forgive me, Todd. Forgive me for never speaking to you before about the gift I received from your own training. It's been eating me inside for years."

With a spidery hand, Todd forced the blind man to the floor. Then, as Joshuo positioned his head up to his in fear, Todd ran his fingers down the man's face.

What's happening?" Joshuo whispered. "It feels very warm… I can't explain it."

Everyone gasped. The scars and wounds that once enshrouded Joshuo's visage were lifted, restoring his looks to normal. As soon as Todd lifted his hands, Joshuo moved his to his face and began to feel around.

"It's a miracle!" Ives gasped. "Truly your soul is odd indeed, young prodigy. But how – is it the mask, or yourself?"

The blind fox turned to the direction of the Archbishop of Cavask, a slight smile on his face. "Your Excellency, I must ask you, but why do you keep interrupting him?"

Ives turned away. "I don't know."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Walking though the light of the pale moon, Elena watched as her captors marched across the Unonian countryside with a steadfast gate. Though their stomping boots and torches in their hands shook her inside, she took comfort in knowing she wasn't alone. At least five hundred, maybe even one thousand, prisoners were with her, chained to the same rung of links at the wrists, being prodded by the same team of soldiers, probably just as scared as she was. Her eyes were weary – her feet even worse – but as she scanned the area once more, she noticed a slew of men and woman from different backgrounds and classes. Most were poor citizens from Cavask, as their black clothing gave them away almost immediately. There were Unonian Royal soldiers in the mix as well, their torn tunics of plated metal and metal skirts gleaming under the light of fire and the waning moon. Even upper class, with their elegant dress and jewels, followed in suit just as meekly as those with tattered clothes and dirty faces with cheekbones jutting from their cavernous eyeholes, peering from their bony faces devoid of any hope.

"Elena, is that you?"

Turning to her left slightly, she noticed Lisa, wearing a black, red, and white dress, so common among Unonian woman throughout the nation. Unable to talk, she nodded humbly.

"Almighty, and you're married too?" Her voice squeaked even though it was covered by a whisper. "To whom?"

She bit the cloth of the gag like a horse does its bit. Like the rest, her hands were chained behind her back, making escape, or even legible talk, impossible.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I'm sorry for the way I mistreated you at the wash." She scoffed and jerked forward, as the chain on her hands led her forward. "If anything, I deserve this treatment. It's such a shame how these terrible things bring us all together, reminding us that we are Unonians regardless, and we should stick together."

Elena rolled her eyes. She turned back to Lisa, who appeared apprehensive.

"Elena, please. I'm so frightened. I saw the entire fight a few days ago, how the Mafians tore through the city, yet was stopped by us, the Unonians." She smiled. "There was a man there, a man who reminded us all what it meant to be Unonian. The general of the enemy army came through, but all he did was step right in front of his face and tell him off. I've never seen such bravery. Even through his dark shades I could see fire burning in his eyes. Then he took his weapon and let him have it!"

Elena bent her head towards the ground. She blinked hard, remembering the man she married, the man she almost left behind a few nights ago. Shaking her head, she was sure he was gone forever. _How could I have been so blind? I miss him more than ever. But he's gone. He's really gone. I'm so sorry, Todd! Oh, I'd give anything just to see him and tell him I love him!_

"But somehow, we were all captured. I saw them move into Ikrisia's home. They came out alone. Then they took their guns and shot Kora and Velisina in cold blood in front of the washing tub." She paused. "You see this?" Pointing to the base of her neck, a look of pride shone in her eyes. "The one who took me tried to have me for his own. He flung me to the ground and broke my collar bone. But I fought him off just in time for his superior to burst through and tell him his orders."

Nodding, Elena brushed a tear from her cheek using her bare shoulder.

"I know. Ikrisia and the rest shouldn't have died that way." Suddenly, she dropped her tone as she shifted her eyes to the left and right. "But the man that motivated us to fight, no one has seen him since. Some say he's off to find McRasko's castle and finish him off on his home turf! Yet I've also heard he's cursed with a mask he carries at all times. Some say it might have killed him, but with the kind of spirit he has, I can't see that happening."

_I wish I could tell him I understand why he fights like he does. I'm so selfish to want him all for me, when he tries hard to stop things like this from happening._ She drew in a quivering breath as tears continued to fall. _He did break my heart, but I can forgive him for that. I loved him._

Suddenly, the people in front of her stopped moving. Thankfully, she paid enough attention not to bump into the Unonian soldier in front of her, staying clear of his frayed metal plated tunic. Confusion slowly bubbled and churned from within the group as everyone tried to get a good look at what was happening. It was no use, as they were too far from the front of the pack to understand.

From the distance, a shout echoed above the muttering commotion. "Line up the prisoners!"

Mafian guards and soldiers immediately apprehended the prisoners, pushing them aside and beating them, hoping the abuse would cause them to move faster. Elena immediately stepped back until she was standing right next to a small kit who looked to be no more than ten. To her left stood Lisa.

"I'll stand by you," she whispered. "It makes me feel better to be around someone I know."

As the remainder of the captives fell into line, the soldiers formed many rows, facing the prisoners about fifteen feet away. A very small group of soldiers walked around and cut the links connecting the prisoners together. Puzzled, Elena watched as they stared impassively out toward them.

"Our group will join forces with our Lord's personal unit!" General McObilu's voice echoed. "We shall embark on the great city once more and finally end the Unonian tirade across these lands once and for all!"

Cheers and shouts echoed across the countryside. Torchlit faces screamed into the open air, as if they were blasting down the Unonian might with one unified burst of energy. Elena looked on, turning her head to avoid seeing the pride and confidence in their actions.

Suddenly, a great clamor came from the top of the corridor formed by Mafians and Unonians. It grew in detection and eventually galloped into view in the form of a white horse carrying a large vulpine man dressed in heavy armor. Chain mail peered from his jewel encrusted breastplate and hard leather skirt. Symbols of unknown origin covered his breastplate, skirt, black leather boots, and gauntlets like snakes slithering up and down his body. A black cape extended down from his shoulders, casting a dark shadow across his body. Armor on his shoulders and kneecaps covered even more chain mail, giving him a formidable appearance.

Not even sparing a moment to address his men, the lofty, muscular vulpine instead turned to the prisoners. His hair was white, and appeared as if it was migrating from the top of his head to the back and neck. His face was horribly wrinkled and somewhat deformed, yet his glowing eyes managed to peer through a thick brow. "_I _am Bronson Kirik McRasko, Emperor of the New Mafian Republic!" Cheers and shouts rang out once more, much to the dismay of the fatigued and exhausted Unonians watching his face contort with laughter. "Oh, what a marvelous sight. Truly I have been… _blessed _with such a remarkable crop." Bending on knee, his gaze turned to the young kit next to Elena. "Young juvenile, what is your name?"

The kit meekly stood forward. "Todd."

The wrinkles on McRasko's face forced a smile. "Todd, eh? Such a _beautiful _name. Would noble Todd mind stepping forward?"

The kit stepped toward the burly vulpine, shaking and trembling. "N-no."

"Good, good." He put his thick hand around his shoulder. "Do you love life, Todd?"

He swallowed hard. "Yes sir."

"Would you believe I do too?" He waited until the young kit shook his head. "It's true, I do. And it's rotten bastards like you that prevent my sons and my daughters from existing, Todd. You are the killer, young one, not I. Do you think it's fair to kill my people, Todd?"

Tears streamed from his face. "N-no… sir."

"Oh, I knew you'd see it from my perspective! Everyone does in the end." He leaned in closer to the kit. "Now Todd, I have another question. Do you think I'm a bad man?"

He immediately nodded as he wiped his face with an already wet arm. "Yes."

"But if you're the killer, and I'm the one who is trying to save my people, doesn't that make you the bad man? And wouldn't I be doing my people a service by taking your pathetic life right now?"

He sniffled hard. "No!" he squeaked.

McRasko nodded his head. "I don't like your logic, Todd." In an instant, he snapped the kit's neck with a clean break, much to the gasps and cries from the prisoner's side of the congregation. Grabbing the body, he twisted off the neck and cupped his hands to gather the blood that poured from the decapitation. Bringing then to his lips, he drank the crimson fluid and wiped his muzzle with the jagged edges of the chain mail on his arm.

"I _am_ the protector!" he boomed as he stood from where he knelt. "When will you malevolent, hideous people learn?" Suddenly, his attention was swayed. Walking toward the line of prisoners, Elena panicked when she realized he was walking up to her. When he approached her, he untied the gag and propped her muzzle up with thick fingers. "Even you are evil."

Anger flooded her face. The pain of losing her husband, her freedom, and all that she once held as just and merciful began to swell within her thin frame. Drawing in a large breath of air, she spat directly in the man's face.

"Bastard!" a Unonian solider shouted.

"Burn in hell!"

Rage attacked the large vulpine's façade, but quickly gave way to more laughter. "But that's right," he spoke as her saliva channeled down his face. "You all believe I am the immoral one. Perhaps I am evil, but that is incredibly doubtful." He turned to his men. "Kill every other prisoner. Kill them now!"

Stepping aside, the brawny vulpine watched as hundreds of guns immediately cocked. As terror swept across the captives, they nervously watched and hoped they would be among the survivors.

"Lisa," Elena whispered. "I might not have long to live, but I can finally speak." She paused as she turned away from the guns. "How do you know if you're pregnant?"

Lisa smiled. "Oh, you'll know when it happens. Nothing changes physically, but it's like a feeling. You'll know."

Swallowing hard, Elena knelt to the ground as commanded by a slew of artillery men. She blinked sorrowfully as a silent prayer echoed in her mind.

McRasko roared with laughter. "As your books are written: one will go, and one will stay." He paused. "So be it!"

Gunfire rang out in the cool night, stabbing its targets with fatal wounds. Elena, along with others shrieked and shut their eyes as the sound of death fell upon their ears. Yet as soon as it had started, the killing was finished. As she opened her eyes, she noticed she was one of the luckier ones, joining roughly half the group. She turned to her left to find a gaping hole just above Lisa's right eye.

"Almighty!" Elena cried. "Why? Why do these things happen? Why?" She turned away, partially due to sadness but mostly due to fear. She had never seen someone she knew die in front of her before, and with such a traumatic end.

"The rest of you!" McRasko bellowed. "Fall back from our lines! Anyone who dares escape shall meet a bloody end!"

Elena stood as the Mafians looked to be organizing at a fast rate. Something seemed to be happening, but she was beyond care. _Almighty, you blessed me with a loving husband and a hopefully his child one day. Why do you give me these things only to have them taken away? Why do you let me come so close to the light, then push it another ten feet in front of me?_ She dried her eyes, already stinging from tears before, and followed the others, being led like cattle to an open field behind enemy lines.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"For Uno! May the visca pipes play proudly into the night!"

Joshuo breathed hard after his long soliloquy. Pumping his fist into the air, he listened to the thousands of men accredited in the Chaljsko. Their cries and screams into the incoming night was enough to bring any man devoid of hope to sheer ecstasy. Especially in a truly Unonian setting – amidst a clearing on the edge of a large forest lined with torches below a moonlit sky – the air was ripe with determination.

"How can we possibly lose?" Joshuo continued. "The Holy Order of the Chaljsko is nearing completion! Soon every Chaljsko fighter known will join our fight, following the man who called them." He staggered over to where Todd's skeletal body stood. "This man! The man who gave his _life_ to the Unonian cause! A true patriot!"

He shook Todd's shoulder as his head bowed in despair.

"Though he does not speak anymore, his presence on and off the battlefield should be more than enough to ensure great morale and a great victory across the land! The Mafian might shall crumble! United with the Almighty, we will defeat them! They stand no chance!"

More shouts and cries came from the group. Chaljsko fighters raised their staffs into the cool evening air as their shouts drowned out the typical sounds of crickets, creaking limbs of trees, and any other noises that soothed a Unonian night.

Suddenly, Todd stepped forward. He pointed out to the horizon with a bony finger as he stared out just beyond the highlighted area. Dancing and the sounds of musical instruments ceased as everyone turned to view where he was pointing at.

"It sounds like soldiers!" a raccoon holding his guardian staff shouted. "Mafian soldiers! Many of them!"

Everyone moved. At an instant, the vixens and other women within the group subsided into the forest, retreating deep within the woods. With them followed the musicians, along with the others of the group who had no business fighting. The remainder, the Chaljsko faithful, stepped up to Todd, who moved up to the hillside with jerky steps.

"Todd," Joshuo asked as he grabbed his shoulder for support, "what's going to happen? Is this going to be a difficult fight? Is McRasko in their group?"

Not even turning to address his adopted brother, he kept his gaze forward and his guardian staff ready, held with both hands as he climbed to the top of the hill. As he continued to ascend, his gaze captured the cross scar on his right hand. He stopped.

"What's wrong? Why are we stopping?"

He let his left hand go limp as it released his staff. With his other hand now free, he stroked the scar with the free hand, gazing at it with intensity. His shoulders sank, almost as if a sigh had escaped through his nose.

"I know what you are thinking about, Todd," the blind fox added. "She is with you, Todd. She always will be, no matter what you do or how you look. May you impress her tonight."

Shaking his head, Todd gripped his staff with both hands and continued to trudge up the hill with steadfast determination, more so than he had previously. Like a machine, he stormed forward. The thousands behind him followed, growing in anxiousness as well as fear.

When they reached the top of the hill, everyone stopped.

"Almighty… so many of them!"

"What?" Joshuo asked. "How many?"

No less than ten thousand Mafian soldiers looked to be present on the battlefield below. As if they knew of their approach, they stood completely organized just below them, looking up at their counterparts with strong will and motivation. Most cheered, while others held up their swords and guns, totally prepared for the battle at hand. Torches lit across the open field and caused their chain mail bodies to glisten despite the darkness of the Unonian evening. As their shouts intensified, Todd slowly stepped up to the encampment below.

"Wait!" one of his men called out, though any attempts to stop him were futile. As Todd approached the encroachment, he moved his staff in front of him into an attack position, staring at the Mafian men in front of him with dark eyes.

As if his deliberate movements had sparked a fuse within the Mafian encampment, hundreds of men barreled toward him. The first to meet Todd was stopped by a mere touch of the hand, his body falling limp into eternal sleep. Then, with a flick of his arm, a great gust of wind spread flames from the direction he pointed to. Hundreds of bodies lit like candles in the open field, accompanied by the screams that brought a sickening joy to Todd's ears. Yet despite what had transpired, more came at the masked fox. Moving his staff, he brought a dozen to their deaths, slicing their bodies in half at the pectorals. Blood gathered and men regrouped, but he never slowed his gate. It was as if he was trying to reach one person, hiding deep within enemy lines.

Another Mafian soldier sped up to him, gun firing at his chest, but Todd's staff immediately blocked the blows, then crushed his head within the spidery fingers of his hand. General McObilu stormed up to him behind the might of his men, but stopped dead in his tracks once Todd reached deep within his chest and pulled, like he was pulling out the very soul of the man, until his rib cage crumbled in his hand. His men behind him fell victim to a firestorm, coupled with the guardian staff of the angered Chaljsko fighter, which tore every single body to bits. Any butcher would have been proud.

"Keep away!" screamed a Mafian sentry as he weakly held his sword in the direction of the masked man. "Please!" Showing slight mercy, Todd walked past him, but nabbed the closest assailant by the head, scooping out his eyes with two long fingers. Then, with a hard clap of his hands, he brought a collection of the Mafian garrison together in one pile, striking their bodies at such a rapid speed no one must have survived. Limbs flew in all directions. Blood poured from the ground like a river of destruction. Less resistance ensured, as close to one thousand had probably bowed to the mastery of the masked fox. They moved out of the way, watching in fear as to what his next move would be.

"Ah," breathed a tall, wide Mafian. His muscles bulged from his chain mail. Even his breastplate showed signs of wear on his pectoral muscles, though the black cape he wore on his back managed to cover most of his strength, but with much difficulty. "The Chaljsko fighters have organized. And found themselves a savior in the process." He cackled like a bubbling cauldron.

Todd shook his head as he stepped up closer to the man.

"Oh, but this man already has one weakness. I have already felt it! No, he is not as invincible as he may seem. For I know who we have in our possession, though he does not even sense it."

As the masked vulpine stepped up to the well-decorated Mafian man, he looked to be a complete mismatch. His emaciated body was totally disadvantaged to the dark vulpine's rippling frame. Being much shorter, he only came up to his pectorals as well. Even though his body looked weak and feeble, he still stood directly in front of the man, staring at him with eyes no light could ever penetrate.

With a hard jab, the burly vulpine struck Todd directly in the chest, causing his body to flip backwards across the dark green grass. Shaking his head, he quickly stood and continued to walk toward his opponent.

"Some patriot!" the man laughed. "Surely he cannot defeat the likes of Bronson McRasko, the future sovereign of this lost and distressed nation!" He continued to chuckle, though his voice dropped to a more devious tone. "Take your best shot, patriot. I have disposed of your Fox McCloud. I shall dispose of you too!"

Placing a single finger on McRasko's nose, he stepped back, holding his guardian staff directly at the man.

"Is that all?" He roared with laughter. "What a young dupe! Oh, I am forever marred by your probing digit!" His laugher suddenly subsided. The strong McRasko looked like he was trying to move, but his attempts and increasingly loud grunts were futile. "You will pay for this with your mortal soul!" he growled.

From the hillside came the remainder of the Chaljsko fighters, storming the field below with alacrity. Their staffs met the swords and guns of the Mafian might, already bruised by Todd's resistance. Yet even so, the Unonian cause easily began to decrease their numbers, as the Chaljsko was no match for droves of men accredited in the knowledge of basic training.

Todd crept up to the evil man as blood flew in all directions, soon coating the ground and sky in a healthy red. A single soldier approached him, but was quickly dealt with as his body flew across the bloody onslaught, landing wherever Todd's finger pointed. Focusing on McRasko, Todd drew in energy. The blades of his staff flew in the cool air, striking the large vulpine in the shoulder. The sharpness of the axe-like blade, coupled with the shear force the masked fox placed in his weapon was enough to immediately crack the top of his breastplate in two. Yet the staff penetrated deeper, moving passed the soft layers of skin and tissue and rupturing the bone, cracking the socket joint in two. Amidst a scream, he drew his guardian staff back once more, then, with astounding speed, drew the blades into the man's neck, piercing the chain mail with ease. Blood trickled down his large body instantly, squirting down his body and tainting his once stainless armor.

Yet all he did was laugh.

"You see, young man," McRasko muttered under a gruesome grin, "you cannot slay the undead. _On no account _can you destroy an immortal man!" As he spoke, his wounds seemed to close. Blood that once stained his armor and spirit dried up and cracked off like chipped paint from the façade of an old building in Cavask. "You, however, young man, are not immortal. But I need not move to destroy your spirit!" He paused. "Soon I will break your heretic spell and return to restore tranquility and justice in this dark land! And you shall truly perish, just as those before you have!" Turning his head, his grotesque features pointed to the left. "You may be hiding under a false visage, but your true feelings burst through. Your wife is alive within our ranks. May you return to her, that is, if she recognizes you, insidious patriot!"

Those words seemed to destroy all determination within him. Todd dropped to his knees, holding his head in his hands. A look of ultimate despair radiated from his body.

"Yes, yes!" McRasko bellowed. "Do you want your face back, boy? Do you wish to look upon her with real eyes?" He dropped his tone to a sinister whisper. "I can help you. I can restore your looks. All I ask for in return is your life, your very spirit. You will spend eternity with her! You will never let her go!"

Todd moved his knees closer to the man, slowly striding up to him.

"Yes!" he replied in a hushed tone under clenched teeth. "Submit to me and you shall be free!"

Using his hands to support him, he gazed up at the man with a blank expression, cocking his head slightly as he scooted closer.

"What?" McRasko scowled. "I will give you riches, power, anything your fickle heart desires!"

Retaining his gaze, Todd continued to look into the eyes of the black-hearted fox.

McRasko's brow furrowed. "Why do you stare so intently?"

Suddenly, he lifted his arms and struck the ground with the palms of his hands. Fire exploded from the ground in front of him, leaving the brawny vulpine in its wake. His body lit like a great wooden post, the flames climbing up his thick frame and licking his body with each jagged turn.

Willing his staff, Todd caught the impressive weapon with a single nab. Then, as the vile vulpine bellowed a mighty roar into the open night, the masked fox sprinted to the left. Any resistance from Mafian advances was dealt with swift and deadly force. As he penetrated into the lines, blood and limbs were sent flying. Often his speed and rapid reflexes caught the enemy soldiers by surprise, but there were at least one or two who took a step away to avoid dismemberment or decapitation by his lightning fast guardian staff.

When he reached Elena only moments later, the Mafian cause was in full retreat, their leader alight like a beacon in a sea of dark green, continuing to burn in the night. As he approached her, he slowed his gate and stepped to where she lay, moving softer than leaves falling from a tree and kissing the ground beneath it. She looked exactly the same from the day of their marriage, save a few bruises on her left cheek and right arm. Her green dress was tattered and torn, especially near her feet, which looked like they'd walked one hundred miles. Yet her eyelashes were dark and long, closed from a long day, no doubt. Her small muzzle was motionless as her chest moved up and down. Using her hands as a pillow, she brought her knees close to her body for warmth, curling her long, flowing tail around for extra comfort. Her black hair, though somewhat out of place, moved in the gentle breeze. She was beautiful.

Although she was sleeping, Todd knelt at her side, making sure no threat was around him. By this time the Mafian might was being chased down by the harrowing screams of the Chaljsko faithful. Leaving behind what looked like hundreds or thousands of starving prisoners, they fled into the forest behind them. Comfortable of the situation, Todd stroked her cheek with his hand, hoping the gentleness of her touch would soothe her in the dreamy state. She smiled slightly, though only turned herself somewhat. He turned to the bruise on her cheek and began to gently caress it with an open palm. He jerked his hand back when he noticed her eyes open.

"Wh-what?" she groggily spoke. Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open. "Who are you?" Kicking him with her left leg, she screamed, leapt to her feet in an instant, and sprinted away.

At first Todd wasn't sure what to do. The blow to his side wasn't too painful, but if he did try to chase her, she might never believe it was him. What if she recognized his clothing and hairstyle? Even so, that proof was very limited. If he stayed where he sat, she may come back to investigate, but what if she didn't? He shook his head as he made up his mind. In a flash, he stood and ran after her.

The Unonian countryside zoomed by. Pushing tired Chaljsko fighters aside as he ran, he followed her down the hill. In no time he was at her heels. Apparently walking barefoot throughout the campaign was terribly detrimental. Yet as they reached the foot of the hill, she stopped and turned around. Todd's momentum was too much to cause him to do the same, so he grabbed both her arms and picked her up until he too came to a halt.

"Get off me!" she shrieked as she tried to squirm out of his grip. "Let me go! Let me go!" Suddenly, she stopped fighting. "If you refuse to leave me alone, I'll kill you! You… you who wears my husband's clothing! How dare you! Is this a sick joke?" Todd stood still as she kicked him in the side again. "You killed him, didn't you?" Todd paused. "Didn't you! You killed him!"

Finally, Todd nodded.

"And you've come to take my life too? It will never happen! My husband was more of a man than you'll ever be! He was loving and caring and honestly tried to make life better for many people! Now I can never tell him how much I love him. You must die!"

Todd nodded once more, kneeling in front of Elena. He dropped his staff in front of her.

"Why do you give up so easily?" Picking up the staff, she clumsily grabbed the shaft and pointed the axe-like blade at Todd's face. "I only wish he were alive today. Because you not only killed a husband, you killed a father too!" Thrusting the staff forward, she missed horribly and struck Todd in the right arm. Blood gushed from the wound, but he did nothing to stop the bleeding.

"Oh!" she breathed. "What have I done?" Suddenly, she too dropped to her knees as tears streamed from her face. She moved closer to the masked man. "I don't want to kill anyone! Just tell me why you killed my husband! Why do you still use his staff? Why? Why?"

With a quivering hand, Todd placed a single finger on the bridge of her muzzle. Then, with a deliberate pace, he moved it downward, to her nose, and then to her delicate lips.

She gasped. "Todd?" She immediately pushed up his shirt and felt the scar on his oblique, letting the rough texture of the black thread move across the grain of her fingers. "Almighty… what happened to you?"

Todd leaned backward until his back hit the soft ground. Though the mask itself was very powerful, his withered body was drained and was totally exhausted. He reached for Elena, and she fell into his grip.

"Oh, Todd," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" She cried hard buried her head into Todd's chest. Her shoulders heaved in great breaths, but were slightly comforted by the spidery hands of the man she loves. "Oh, I missed you so much! But now you're here, and I'm with you." Smiling, she blinked her large brown eyes at him. "I'm so sorry I cut your arm," she said as she gripped his shoulder. "I'll fix that later, just as I fixed your stomach." Moving on top of him, she dug her heels into the soft soil. "Is this the mask you've tried to hide from me?" She scoffed. "They told me it would kill you even. Do you need help with it?" Not even waiting for a response, she began to pull at the edge of the mask, his head bouncing with each yank. With every pull, the mask did not move.

"Todd!" she screamed. "Tell me you can take this off!" She screamed again, pulling with all her might. "No! Todd, no!" With a final tug, she collapsed onto his chest, sobbing. "Your face! Your beautiful face!" Rage overcame her, and she tried to pull it off, but with no avail.

Grabbing her with weakening arms, he held her until her cries subsided, moving his hands up and down her back in a soft manner.

"Oh, Todd," she whispered. "What are we going to do?" Rubbing her bruised cheek, she nudged her head against his chest. "I don't care what you look like. I still love you."

He held her close as Mafian soldiers from a distance marched toward them. He let her go once; he would never repeat his error.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Bring that bitch here."

Todd shook his head as more soldiers formed around where they lay. He watched as they began to group around in a tight circle, making escape impossible. Yet he knew, though the situation was dire, he would never let her go.

"Oh," she breathed, "I can't hold you back, Todd. Let them take me."

"Game over, marble face," one soldier mocked. He placed his gauntleted hand on the throat of the black-clad fox. "You have lost. Your nation has lost. Give up."

Again he refused, batting his hand away. Holding her tighter, he looked on at the droves of men with a stern gaze as the soldier returned to his tall stance.

"Men of the Mafia!" the soldier began, "this man is responsible for tainting the name McRasko! Show him no mercy!" Immediately the sound of hundreds of cocking guns echoed in the once tranquil night. "Show this bastard urbanite the penalty of humiliating our most benevolent master, Bronson McRasko!"

Elena hugged him around his neck. "Oh Todd, why does the Almighty do this?" she whispered as a warm teardrop channeled down her cheek. "Do you see it? Why does love have to be this way? We've spent years smiling and frowning, content and angry, together and apart, healthy and bleeding. Why now? Why, when we finally are in each others arms, does it have to be hand in hand with death too?" She sniffled as she rubbed her nose on her bare arm. "It's a sham, love is. Love is a sadistic play filled with acts riddled with confusion, anger, anxiousness, and fear. And when you come to the climax, when everything looks perfect, it's cut to pieces. It's a game for fools."

"On my count, fire!" the soldier bellowed. "For the name of McRasko! Leave nothing left of these two!"

"I only wish I would've been smarter," she muttered. "I wish I could've watched the play before I accepted the part."

"One…"

"But then I would've probably still auditioned anyway." She scoffed as another tear fell down her cheek. "At least I had a man who played the part with me."

"Two…"

She laughed as she moved her head to get the hair out of her face. "You were wonderful, sweetheart." Bending down to his face, she kissed him where his lips would be. As if the interaction was sent directly from the angels themselves, when she lifted away from his face, Todd's body returned to its former form. He reached and pulled the mask from his face, the eyeholes no longer dark and his true features showing.

"Oh, Elena," he breathed as his focused his eyes onto hers, "I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Three!"

Gunfire tore through the Unonian night like a train roaring across once tranquil fields. Each one aimed directly for the two still holding each other in the brisk yet troubled evening, bringing destruction, blood, and death with them. And then the beads of time would pass on, forever dodging their lives in the intricate dance of tales written by fallible men, never to mention their names or show their faces again.

It never happened.

Standing, Todd held Elena within the folds of his thin, black leather trench coat, holding her head close to his chest as the smoking guns silenced. He wasn't sure what took place, but he was certain it had to do with his ability to will. After all, he willed his staff when he was hanging in a less than peaceful Unonian forest one week ago. What difference did hundreds of bullets make? But perhaps it was the mask, which was known to be very powerful, even to the untrained eye. If he became undead with it on, did both he and his wife retain that status while simply holding it together? Or maybe it was the hand of the Almighty, the ultimate protector of love, the one who both gives and restores it though not always receives it. Perhaps he had intervened? No one, not even the soldiers, who stared in amazement at the two, completely unharmed by the spray of bullets that seemed to evaporate like the morning mist, knew what transpired.

"True love has set me free." As Todd breathed a sigh of relief while scanning over his restored figure, he held out a hand to the main soldier, still holding the woman he loves in the grip of the other. "Don't, or I will hurt you terribly."

He scoffed and drew his gun. "Who's speaking to me now? I remember you from last week – what face do you wear now?"

Todd looked down at Elena, then back at the Mafian and his smiling face bedecked in a sea of soldiers and metal behind him. "I am a man of many faces. But the mask I wear is one."

In that instant, he threw down the mask and broke it with his booted foot. As it cracked and strained into many small pieces, light poured onto the darkness and struck the armor of the soldiers with completeness. Most Mafian men present fell to the ground in a fit of dying screams, but there were those who did not seem to suffer any noticeable pain. Those who sustained the odd occurrence ran from the premises, stumbling back into the woods and back into the clutches of the Chaljsko fighters no doubt.

Todd watched the entire event. Though the light affected only a small area, it was enough for the situation at hand. Hundreds of bodies went limp as if death had seized them like a thief in the night. In a matter of one minute, the scenery hand changed from very foreboding to an almost eerie peace.

Todd slowly moved to sit on the ground, making sure Elena was still safe within his grasp. As he folded his legs, he moved aside his coat and pulled her body close to his, letting her head rest on one of his strong yet slender arms.

"Did we die?" she asked.

Todd shook his head. "No. We're still alive, resting in a field not too far from home."

"Where is home, Todd?"

He watched as she turned her head to his, gazing into his eyes. "Home is where you feel safe."

She closed her eyes and hugged his thin, battered frame. "I want to go home."

Staring out into the open Unonian field, he noticed hundreds of prisoners being gathered by a growing group of the Chaljsko faithful. They conglomerated among the open field as the first signs of daylight appeared over the horizon.

"One day, Elena," he whispered, "one day all we will see is people helping people. This great nation will come together and the dark clouds of war will lift from over our skies." He smiled as he brought her closer. "Look at them. So hurt, yet still loving, still caring, and still compassionate. If only this world could learn from them. Just drop their hatred and pride and accept one another. Lend a helping hand instead of one occupied by a gun or a sword."

"Todd?"

"Yes?"

"Is this what you fight for? Is this why you fight?"

He paused as he watched those accredited in the Chaljsko drop their weapons and stoop down to carry a soul too fatigued and exhausted to walk alone. "Up until now, I would have said yes without even giving it a second thought. But it's more than that. I can't explain it, but if I had to sum it up in one word, I think it would be peace. Do you hear? No fighting, no guns or clinking of swords. And people are happy. They have so little, but they are happy and free. And they love. Peace encompasses all of that, and no evil can ever hide from it. This is what I fight for, Elena."

"Your fight is not without support." She placed a hand on his. "I will be with you in every step of the way."

"You already are," he replied. "You've always been there. Even in the darkest of hours, I'd think of you, even when we were separated. Sometimes it was all I had to keep me going. There was always that chance of seeing you again, of hearing your voice and holding you in my arms." He paused. "Always a chance. And now I've been blessed."

Looking up at him, she smiled. "I never knew you thought about that."

Suddenly, Chaljsko soldiers approached the two. Armed with staffs and toting damaged lives within their grasps, they appeared bruised yet strong, wearing clothing traditional from every corner of Uno. Joshuo, though blind, carried a gaunt vixen in his arms. He fought his way to the front of the growing group and knelt down to Todd's level.

"The men have all decided to take a vow of silence for you. McRasko escaped by a bolt of lighting, or at least that's what it looked like. No one knows how, but he must never find out who the man behind the mask is."

Todd nodded. "Thanks, old friend. Where are you going?"

Joshuo laughed as a cool breeze blew across his face. "To their nearby village, to help them rebuild and to drop the rest of them off there. We've promised patrols from Cavask to their too, if that is all right with you."

"Of course," Todd replied. "I am not your master."

He smiled. "No, but you are a hero. And you are true to your word. You are a patriot."

Todd shook his head. "I did what any typical Unonian would've done. But I am at peace with that."

"Would you like to come with us, Todd? We could use the help, and it should be fun meeting the people you helped save."

"I'm sorry," he said with a smile. "But I need some time off first. I'd like to stay here, with my wife. I'll return when I feel the time's right."

"I see… kind of." Joshuo shrugged. "I guess this is goodbye then."

Nodding, the urbanite looked down at his wife, then back at his unmoving face and dead eyes. "For the time being, old friend. But I'm sure our paths will cross again." He paused. "Joshuo, don't ever be like me. I've hid behind masks my entire life, but now have learned from my mistakes. Don't be afraid to do what's right, even if you are told it is wrong."

Joshuo stood and continued down the hill. Others followed his lead, and soon the entire group began to migrate across the green field, across open planes of endless grass, until their village was met.

"Todd!" the blind man called out as Todd turned his head toward him. "Thank you for setting me free!"

Todd watched as the large group, stretching in the thousands, cascaded in a winding ribbon against the green. He turned to Elena, who had been silently watching him the entire time. "What?"

Shutting her eyes, she smiled as she rubbed her head against his chest, breathing a sigh of relief. "Home is where you feel safe," she whispered.

"Yes, it is."

"Then I truly am home."


End file.
